First Cousins: Prince Albert II of Monaco

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Prince Albert II of Monaco (born 1958)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco was born on March 14, 1958, at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco. He is the only son and the second of three children of Rainier III, Sovereign Prince of Monaco and American actress and Academy Award winner Grace Kelly. Albert’s paternal grandparents were Princess Charlotte of Monaco (illegitimate and adopted daughter of Prince Louis II of Monaco) and Count Pierre de Polignac. His maternal grandparents were John B. Kelly Sr., an American Olympic triple gold medalist in rowing, and Margaret Majer, the first coach of women’s teams at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2005, upon the death of his father, Albert became Sovereign Prince of Monaco. Albert married South African Charlene Wittstock and had twins, a son and a daughter.

Prince Albert had ten first cousins. He shares his first cousins with his siblings Princess Caroline of Monaco, Princess of Hanover and Princess Stéphanie of Monaco.

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Paternal Aunt of Prince Albert II: Child of Princess Charlotte of Monaco and Count Pierre de Polignac

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Maternal Aunts and Uncle of Prince Albert II: Children of John B. Kelly Sr. and Margaret Majer

  • Margaret Katherine Kelly (1925–1991), married George Davis, had two children
  • John Brendan Kelly, Jr. (1927–1985), married Mary Gray Freeman, had six children
  • Elizabeth Anne Kelly (1933–2009), married Donald LeVine, had two children

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Antoinette of Monaco, Baroness de Massy and Alexandre-Athenase Noghès

Princess Antoinette had a long-term affair with Alexandre-Athenase Noghès, a tennis player. The couple had three illegitimate children who were later legitimized when their parents married in 1951. The marriage lasted only three years. In 1951, Antoinette was created Baroness de Massy. Her children’s original surname was Grimaldi, the surname of the Princely Family of Monaco. The children changed their surname to de Massy and began to use the titles Baron and Baroness although not entitled to do so. After they were legitimized, Antoinette’s children were in the line of succession to the throne of Monaco until the death of Prince Rainier II in 2005.

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Elisabeth-Anne de Massy (born 1947)

Elizabeth-Anne was a flower girl at the wedding of Grace Kelly and her uncle Prince Rainier III of Monaco.  She married Baron Bernard Alexandre Taubert-Natta. They had one son before divorcing. Elizabeth-Anne married a second time to choreographer Nicolai Vladimir Costello and they had one daughter:

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Christian de Massy attending his mother’s funeral with his cousins Princess Caroline and Princess Stephanie and his niece Melanie de Massy (2011)

Christian de Massy (born 1949)

Christian de Massy was a page at the wedding of Grace Kelly and his uncle Prince Rainier III of Monaco.  He was a professional race driver. Christian has held several diplomatic positions including Economic Attaché to Embassy of Monaco in Washington D.C, Diplomatic Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign, Economic and Financial Affairs and Monaco Chargé d’Affaires for Latin America and the Caribbean.  Christian has been married and divorced four times: (1) María Marta Quintana y del Carril, had one daughter, divorced;  (2) Anne Michelle Lütken, no children, divorced  (3) Julia Lakschin, no children, divorced; (4)  Cécile Irène Gelabale, had two sons

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Princess Antoinette with her two daughters, Elisabeth-Anne de Massy and Christine de Massy (1961)

Christine de Massy (1951 – 1989)

Christine was a flower girl at the wedding of Grace Kelly and her uncle Prince Rainier III of Monaco. She married Charles Wayne Knecht, a first cousin once removed of her aunt by marriage Princess Grace. They had one son before divorcing. Christine then married  Leon Leroy but the marriage was childless. She died a year after her second marriage from leukemia.

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Margaret “Peggy” Kelly and George Davis

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Peggy Kelly Davis with her two daughters

Margaret Ann “Meg” Davis, (born 1946)

Meg Davis, along with her sister Mary Lee, was a flower girl at the wedding of her aunt Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco. In 1964, she married Richard Roe and they had three sons. The couple divorced and Meg married William Packer, the ex-husband of her cousin Grace LeVine.

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Mary Lee Davis (born 1948)

Along with her sister Meg, Mary Lee Davis was a flower girl at the wedding of Prince Rainier of Monaco and her aunt Grace Kelly.  She eloped when she was fifteen-years-old and married eighteen-year-old John Paul Jones Jr., the son of a local architect. Mary Lee had three children with her first husband. She married a second time to Hugh M Kentworthy and the couple had two children.

The Esoteric Curiosa: Wayward Grimaldi Relative Runs Off With Her “Prince Charming” On Board A Bus! Princess Grace’s Fifteen-Year-Old Niece Plays House With Her Boyfriend!

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of John B. Kelly Jr. and Mary Gray Freeman

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(L-R) John B. Kelly III President of the Prince Albert of Monaco USA Foundation, his cousin Prince Albert II of Monaco and Miles White Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Field Museum

John B. Kelly III

John B. Kelly III received his bachelor’s degree in Economics from Harvard University. He married Karen Spencer, an attorney, and they had one daughter and one son. John is a banker and serves on the boards of the Fairmount Park Conservancy and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation – USA.

In September 2016, Prince Albert II of Monaco purchased his mother’s childhood home, a 17-room house on Henry Avenue in East Falls, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with the intention to restore it. His cousin John B. Kelly III supervised the work on the house. Several other of Prince Albert’s cousins, including artist Susan Kelly von Medicus and her son William von Medicus, also helped out with the project. The home will serve as regional offices for the Princess Grace Foundation, as well as an exchange program with the Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco. Tours of the house will benefit the Princess Grace Foundation and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

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(L-R) William von Medicus (Susan Kelly von Medicus’s son) with baby Nora, Christopher LeVine, Susan Kelly von Medicus, Meg Davis Packer, Prince Albert II of Monaco, John B. Kelly III, Margaret Kelly, Nick Kelly (John B. Kelly III’s son), Megan von Medicus (William’s wife), and Karen Spencer Kelly stand in front of the newly renovated Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco’s Childhood Home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 9, 2018

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Susan Kelly von Medicus (in blue)

Susan Kelly von Medicus

Susan married Richard von Medicus and they had three sons. Susan is an art instructor at Villanova University in Pennsylvania and an artist specializing in iconography. Check out her artwork at her website: https://www.susanvonmedicus.com/

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Elizabeth “ Liz” Kelly (1959 – 2006)

Elizabeth Kelly earned a dual degree in 1981 in English and archaeology from Harvard University, where she was on the swim team and ran a catering service. She opened Brickworks in 1988 at 119 South 19th Street in Philadelphia. It was a bakery and lunch cafe named after the bricklaying industry in which her grandfather John B. Kelly Sr. made his fortune. Elizabeth died of cancer.

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No information on these cousins, all daughters of John B. Kelly, Jr.

  • Ann Kelly Ogle
  • Maura Kelly Casey (1957 – 2010) married Kevin Casey.
  • Margaret Christina “Buttons” Kelly

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Elizabeth Anne “Lizanne” Kelly and Donald LeVine

Grace LeVine (1956 – 1999)

Grace was born in the year of the wedding of her aunt Princess Grace and was named after her. She attended the University of Pennsylvania. In 1978, she was a witness for her cousin Princess Caroline at her first wedding to Philippe Junot. Grace married William Packer. The couple had no children and divorced. Grace owned Sweetwater Farm, a bed-and-breakfast in Glen Mills in Chester County, Pennsylvania. She died of cancer in 1999. An annual award for young people in the arts, given by the Princess Grace Foundation, is named the Grace LeVine Award. Grace left Sweetwater Farm to her brother Christopher who renamed it The Inn at Grace Winery in honor of his sister.

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Christopher LeVine with his cousins Princess Caroline and Princess Stephanie

Christopher LeVine (born 1958)

Christopher LeVine married Mary Victoria McNeil. The couple had two daughters and one son. Their daughter Ginna LeVine is an actress. Christopher was best man at Prince Albert’s wedding and is the godfather of Hereditary Prince Jacques of Monaco, Prince Albert’s son. Christopher and his wife run the bed and breakfast, mentioned above, that Christopher’s sister left him after her death.

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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

  • Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
  • Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

First Cousins: Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg (born 1955)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg was born on April 16, 1955, in Betzdorf Castle in Luxembourg. He is the eldest son and second child of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. Henri’s paternal grandparents were Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg and Prince Félix of Bourbon-Parma. His maternal grandparents were King Leopold III of the Belgians and his first wife Princess Astrid of Sweden.  Henri married María Teresa Mestre y Batista-Falla, who was born in Cuba and raised in New Jersey and New York City. The couple has four sons and one daughter. Henri has been Grand Duke of Luxembourg since his father abdicated in 2000.

Henri has 27 first cousins. He shares his first cousins with his siblings Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg, Archduchess of Austria; Prince Jean of Luxembourg; Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg, Princess of Liechtenstein; and Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg.

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Grand Duke Henri’s Paternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg and Prince Félix of Bourbon-Parma

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Grand Duke Henri’s Maternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of King Leopold III of the Belgians and his first wife Princess Astrid of Sweden

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Grand Duke Henri’s Maternal Half Aunts and Uncles: Children of King Leopold III of the Belgians and his second wife Lilian Baels

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Elizabeth of Luxembourg and Franz, Duke von Hohenberg

  • Princess Anita of Hohenberg (born 1958), married (1) Romee de La Poeze, Count d’Harambure, had three sons and one daughter, divorced (2) Count Andreas von Bardeau, no children
  • Princess Sophie of Hohenberg (born 1960), married Jean-Louis de Potesta, had two daughters and one son

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Marie Adelaide of Luxembourg and Karl Josef Graf Henckel von Donnersmarck

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Marie Gabriele of Luxembourg and Knud, 7th Count of Holstein-Ledreborg

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Charles of Luxembourg and Joan Douglas Dillon, daughter of United States Secretary of the Treasury C. Douglas Dillon

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Alix of Luxembourg and Antoine, 13th Prince de Ligne

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of King Albert II of Belgium and Paola Ruffo di Calabria


Philippe, King of the Belgians (born 1960)

Philippe has been King of the Belgians since the abdication of his father Albert II in 2013. He was educated at Trinity College at the University of Oxford and then attended graduate school at Stanford University in the United States earning his Masters degree in political science. Philippe married Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz and the couple has two daughters and two sons.

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Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 1962)

Princess Astrid is named after her paternal grandmother Astrid of Sweden, wife of King Leopold III of the Belgians, who tragically died in a car accident at the age of 29. Astrid married Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, the eldest son of Archduke Robert of Austria-Este, the second son of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria. The couple has two sons and three daughters.

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Prince Laurent of Belgium (born 1963)

Prince Laurent married British-born, but Belgian-raised Claire Coombs. The couple has one daughter and twin sons.

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Maternal Half First Cousins: Children of Princess Marie-Esmeralda of Belgium and Salvador Moncada

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Princess Marie-Esmeralda of Belgium with her husband Salvador Moncada with their children Leopoldo and Alexandra
  • Alexandra Léopoldine Moncada (born 1998)
  • Leopoldo Daniel Moncada (born 2001)

Alexandra and Leopoldo’s mother Princess Marie-Esmerelda of Belgium was the daughter of Leopold III, King of the Belgians and his second wife Lilian Baels. Lilian and Leopold married in a religious ceremony held in the chapel at the Palace of Laeken in 1941. The couple planned to hold a civil ceremony after the war, but instead held it in December of the same year, after discovering that they were expecting a child. There were several issues with the marriage which further damaged Leopold’s reputation with the Belgian people. First, the order of the ceremonies went against Belgian law, which states that a civil ceremony must take place before a religious one. Secondly, many Belgians felt that the marriage sullied the memory of Leopold’s first wife, their beloved Queen Astrid who had died in a car accident at the age of 29. Following the marriage, Lilian was given the title Princess de Réthy and was not styled as Queen. It was also decided that any children would be Prince/Princess of Belgium, but without any rights of succession. Leopold and Lilian had three children. Alexandra and Leopoldo are not in the Belgian line of succession and are not considered members of the Belgian Royal Family. They are private citizens and do not perform any royal functions. Their father Sir Salvador Moncada is a Honduran-British pharmacologist and they have lived in Belgian, Honduras, and the United States.

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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

  • Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
  • Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/

December 19, 2019 – The State Opening of Parliament

Photo Credit – Zimbio

On December 19, 2019, the State Opening of the Parliament was held.  Although there was a State Opening of Parliament just in October after Boris Johnson became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom another State Opening was necessary because of last week’s parliamentary election. This ceremony formally marks the beginning of a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II read a prepared speech, known as the “Speech from the Throne” or the “Queen’s Speech”, outlining the Government’s agenda for the coming year.

For a short video that shows just the Queen’s Speech, see BBC: State Opening of Parliament

For a longer video, that shows more of the pomp, see Global News: Queen’s speech formally reopens UK parliament following election | FULL

For more information, see our link below.

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First Cousins: Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein was born on February 14, 1945, in Zurich, Switzerland. He was the eldest of the five children of Prince Franz Josef II of Liechtenstein and Countess Georgina von Wilczek. His father succeeded as Prince of Liechtenstein upon the death of his childless great-uncle Prince Franz I of Liechtenstein in 1938. Hans-Adam’s paternal grandparents were Prince Aloys of Liechtenstein and Archduchess Elisabeth Amalie of Austria. Archduchess Elisabeth Amalie’s father Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria was the younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, the father of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, whose assassination ignited World War I, and the grandfather of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria. Hans-Adam’s maternal grandparents were Ferdinand, Count of Wilczek and Countess Norbertine Kinsky of Wchinitz und Tettau. Hans-Adam married Countess Marie Aglaë of Wchinitz and Tettau and had three sons and one daughter.

Prince Hans-Adam has 23 paternal first cousins and no maternal first cousins because his mother was an only child. He shares his first cousins with his siblings Prince Phillipp Erasmus of Liechtenstein, Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein, Princess Nora of Liechtenstein, and Prince Wenzel of Liechtenstein.

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Prince Hans-Adam’s Paternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Prince Aloys of Liechtenstein and Archduchess Elisabeth Amalie of Austria

  • Princess Maria Theresia of Liechtenstein, Countess von Gross-Zauche und Camminetz  (1908 – 1973), married Count Arthur Strachwitz von Gross-Zauche und Camminetz, had issue
  • Prince Karl Alfred of Liechtenstein (1910 – 1985), married Archduchess Agnes Christina of Austria, had issue
  • Prince Georg Hartmann of Liechtenstein  (1911 – 1998), married Duchess Marie Christine of Württemberg, had issue
  • Prince Ulrich Dietmar of Liechtenstein (1913 – 1978), unmarried
  • Princess Marie Henriette of Liechtenstein, Countess von Eltz genannt Faust von Stromberg (1914 – 2011), married Count Peter von Eltz genannt Faust von Stromberg, had issue
  • Prince Aloys Heinrich of Liechtenstein (1917 – 1967), unmarried
  • Prince Heinrich Hartneidof Liechtenstein  (1920 – 1993), married Countess Amalie von Podstatzky-Lichtenstein, had issue

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Maria Theresia of Liechtenstein and Artur Graf Strachwitz von Gross-Zauche and Camminetz

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Karl Alfred of Liechtenstein and Archduchess Agnes Christina of Austria

Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Maria Pia of Liechtenstein (born 1960)

Princess Maria Pia of Liechtenstein married Max Alexander Kothbauer and had one son. She is a diplomat and has served as Ambassador of Liechtenstein to Belgium, to the European Union, to Austria, and to the Czech Republic.
Wikipedia: Princess Maria Pia of Liechtenstein

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Georg Hartmann of Liechtenstein and Marie Christine, Duchess of Württemberg

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Henriette of Liechtenstein and Peter Graf von Eltz genannt Faust von Stromberg

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Heinrich Hartneid of Liechtenstein and Amalie Countess von Podstatzky-Lichtenstein

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No Maternal First Cousins

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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

  • Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
  • Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

First Cousins: King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

 

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands (born 1967)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands was born on April 27, 1967. He was the eldest of the three sons of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Claus von Amsberg. His maternal grandparents were Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. His paternal grandparents were Claus Felix von Amsberg, a member of the untitled German nobility, and Baroness Gösta von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen. King Willem-Alexander married Argentinian Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti and had three daughters. In 2013, Willem-Alexander became King of the Netherlands upon the abdication of his mother.

King Willem Alexander has 22 first cousins. He shares his first cousins with his siblings Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau and Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands.

Note: King Willem Alexander’s mother the former Queen Beatrix has no first cousins. Her mother was an only child and her father had a brother but he had no children.

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Maternal Aunts of King Willem Alexander: Children of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld

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Paternal Aunts of King Willem Alexander: Children of Claus Felix von Amsberg and Baroness Gösta von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen

  • Sigrid von Amsberg (born 1925), married Bernd Jencquel, had issue
  • Rixa von Amsberg (born 1927 – 2010), married Peter Ahrend, no issue
  • Margit von Amsberg (born 1930 – 1988), married Ernst Grubitz, had issue
  • Barbara von Amsberg (born 1930), married Günther Haarhaus, had issue
  • Theda von Amsberg (born 1939), married Baron Karl von Friesen, had issue
  • Christina von Amsberg (born 1945), married Baron Hans Hubertus von der Recke, had issue

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Irene of the Netherlands and Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma

Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Parma, Duke of Parma and Piacenza (born 1970)

Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Parma is the Head of House of Bourbon-Parma and is considered by some a contested pretender to the Carlist claim to the throne of Spain. After his parents’ divorce, he moved from Spain with his mother and his siblings to live with his grandparents Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld in the Netherlands. He is sometimes present at events concerning the Dutch royal family. Carlos has a son with Brigitte Klynstra born outside of marriage. He married Annemarie Gualthérie van Weezel, daughter of a Dutch politician and diplomat. The couple had two daughters and one son.

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Princess Margarita of Bourbon-Parma and her second husband Tjalling Siebe ten Cate

Princess Margarita of Bourbon-Parma (born 1972)

Princess Margarita is the twin sister of Prince Jaime. She first married entrepreneur Edwin de Roy van Zuydewijn. They had no children and divorced after five years of marriage. Margarita then married Tjalling Siebe ten Cate, a lawyer, and they had two daughters.

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Prince Jaime of Bourbon-Parma (born 1972)

Prince Jaime is the twin brother of Princess Margarita. He married Viktória Cservenyák, a Hungarian-born Dutch attorney, and they had two daughters. Jaime has degrees from two American universities, Brown University and Johns Hopkins University, and has a career with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands where he has held several positions in foreign countries.

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Princess Carolina of Bourbon-Parma (born 1974)

Princess Caroline married Albert Brenninkmeijer, a member of a wealthy Dutch-German family. The couple has a daughter and a son. Caroline was educated at the University of Amsterdam, Harvard University, and the University of Oxford and has had a career with the United Nations.

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and Pieter van Vollenhoven

 

Prince Maurits of Orange-Nassau van Vollenhoven (born 1968)

Prince Maurits married Marilène van den Broek, daughter of a Dutch politician and diplomat. The couple had two daughters and one son. Upon the abdication of his aunt Queen Beatrix and the accession of his cousin King Willem-Alexander, Prince Maurits and his three brothers were no longer in the succession to the Dutch throne or members of the Dutch Royal House but they are still members of the Dutch Royal Family.

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Prince Bernhard of Orange-Nassau van Vollenhoven (born 1969)

Prince Bernhard married Annette Sekrève and they had one daughter and two sons. Bernhard studied at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and Groningen University in the Netherlands and works as a self-employed entrepreneur.

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Prince Pieter-Christiaan of Orange-Nassau van Vollenhoven (born 1972)

Prince Pieter-Christiaan married Anita van Eijk. At the time of his wedding, he was still in the line of succession to the Dutch throne but because he did not seek parliamentary approval for his marriage, he lost his place in the line of succession. Pieter-Christiaan and Anita had a daughter and a son.

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Prince Floris of Orange-Nassau van Vollenhoven (born 1975)

Prince Floris married Aimée Söhngen and they had two daughters and one son. Like his brother Pieter-Christaan, Floris was still in the line of succession to the Dutch throne at the time of his marriage but because he did not seek parliamentary approval for his marriage, he lost his place in the line of succession.

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Christina of the Netherlands and  Jorge Pérez y Guillermo

Embed from Getty Images

Bernardo Guillermo (born 1977)

Bernardo Guillermo married Eva Prinz-Valdes and they have one daughter.

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Embed from Getty Images
Juliana Guillermo and her brother Nicolás Guillermo

Nicolás Guillermo (born 1979)

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Juliana Guillermo (born 1981)

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Sigrid von Amsberg and Bernd Jenquel

  • Marion Jenquel (born 1953) married Hans Theodor Kutsch and had two daughters and one son.
  • Claus Jenquel (born 1955) married Silke Abendroth and had three sons.
  • Joachim Jenquel (1960) married Stephanie Kraehe and had three sons.

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Barbara von Amsberg and  Ernst Haarhaus

  • Alexandra Haarhaus (born 1965) married Ulric Dietzler.
  • Rüdiger Haarhaus (born 1967)

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Margit von Amsberg and Eberhardt Grübitz

  • Christoph Grübitz (born 1965)

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Theda von Amsberg and Karl Hanns Alexander, Freiherr von Friesen

  • Alexander Friedrich-Karl Claus, Freiherr von Friesen (born 1967) married Renate Herdel and had one son and one daughter.
  • Isabell Christina, Freiin von Friesen (born 1969)

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Christina von Amsberg and Hans Hubertus Georg Thiess, Freiherr von der Recke

  • Katinka Isabell, Freiin von der Recke (born 1973)
  • Sophie Caroline Felicitas, Freiin von der Recke (born 1975)
  • Theresa Marie Christina Lilli, Freiin von der Recke (born 1979)

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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

  • Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
  • Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

Wedding of Mary, Princess Royal and Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Queen Mary; Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood; Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood; King George V by Vandyk, 12 x 10 inch glass plate negative, 28 February 1922, NPG x130069 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Her Royal Highness The Princess Mary (created Princess Royal in 1932) and Henry Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles (succeeded his father as 6th Earl of Harewood in 1929) were married at Westminster Abbey in London, England on February 28, 1922.

Mary’s Early Life

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Princess Mary with her five brothers, circa 1910

The only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary (born Princess Victoria Mary of Teck) was born on April 25, 1897, in the year of the Diamond Jubilee of her great-grandmother Queen Victoria, at York Cottage on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England. She was the third of the six children of her parents who were the Duke and Duchess of York at the time of her birth. Mary’s youngest brother Prince John died in 1919 when he was thirteen years old due to epilepsy complications. Her two elder brothers became Kings of the United Kingdom: Edward VIII and George VI. The other two brothers were Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Prince George, Duke of Kent.

Princess Mary was educated by governesses and also shared some lessons with her brothers. During World War I, when she was a teenager, Mary accompanied her mother Queen Mary on visits to hospitals and other organizations that assisted soldiers and their families. Mary had her own project, Princess Mary’s Christmas Gift Fund, which sent a gift box to British soldiers and sailors for Christmas 1914. In 1918, Princess Mary began a nursing course at the Great Ormond Street Hospital, working two days a week in the Alexandra Ward. Mary also became active in supporting the Voluntary Aid Detachment, the Women’s Land Army and the Girl Guides. She was the honorary president of the British Girl Guide Association from 1920 until her death.

To learn more about Mary, see Unofficial Royalty: Princess Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood

Henry’s Early Life

Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood; Credit – Wikipedia

Henry Lascelles was born on September 9, 1882, in London, England. He was the elder son and the eldest of the three children of Henry Lascelles, 5th Earl of Harewood and Lady Florence Bridgeman, daughter of Orlando Bridgeman, 3rd Earl of Bradford. At the time of his birth, Henry was styled The Honourable Henry Lascelles. When his grandfather died in 1892 and his father became the 5th Earl of Harewood, Henry was able to use one of his father’s subsidiary titles and be styled Viscount Lascelles. He became the 6th Earl of Harewood upon the death of his father in 1929.

Henry grew up at Harewood House, the family seat near Leeds in Yorkshire, England. After attending Eton College, Henry attended the Royal Military College Sandhurst and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the Grenadier Guards on February 12, 1902. He gained the rank of Captain in the service of the Grenadier Guards and fought in World War I where he commanded the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards. He was mentioned in dispatches and wounded twice. He also served with the Yorkshire Hussars Yeomanry and attained the rank of Major.

To learn more about Henry, see Unofficial Royalty: Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood

The Engagement

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Engagement Photo

Mary’s eldest brother The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VIII) knew Henry from World War I and greatly admired him. After meeting at the Grand National, an annual horse race, and a house party in 1921, Mary and Henry were continuously seen together, despite their fifteen-year age difference. They both loved horse riding and the two frequently attended hunts together.

When Henry was invited to Balmoral and Sandringham, it was noted that there could be an engagement announcement soon. On November 20, 1921, Henry proposed to Mary at York Cottage, where he was staying while at Sandringham. Queen Mary wrote in her diary for that day, “At 6.30 Mary came to my room to announce to me her engagement to Lord Lascelles! We then told G. (King George V) & then gave Harry L. our blessing. We had to keep it quiet owing to G. having to pass an order in council to give his consent. Of course, everybody guessed what had happened & we were very cheerful & almost uproarious at dinner. We are delighted.”

The Wedding Site

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Westminster Abbey Choir leading to the Altar

The wedding of Princess Mary and Viscount Lascelles was the first time a child of a monarch had married at Westminster Abbey since 1290 when Margaret of England, daughter of King Edward I, married John II, Duke of Brabant. Westminster Abbey was completed around 1060 and was consecrated in 1065, during the reign of Edward the Confessor. Construction of the second and present church was begun in 1245 by Henry III who selected the site for his burial. In 1269, Henry III oversaw a grand ceremony to rebury Edward the Confessor in a magnificent new shrine, personally helping to carry the body to its new resting place.

Westminster Abbey was the wedding venue for six royal weddings during the reigns of the Plantagenet kings including that of King Richard II to Anne of Bohemia in 1382. That would be the last royal wedding at Westminster Abbey until the reign of King George V. Queen Victoria’s granddaughter and King George V’s first cousin Princess Patricia of Connaught married The Honorable Alexander Ramsay at Westminster Abbey in 1919. This was the first major royal event after World War I.

Mary was the first of King George V’s children to marry. Five of the six children (Prince John died in childhood) of King George V married and three of the five were married at Westminster Abbey. Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester was due to marry at Buckingham Palace but the unexpected death of his fiancée’s father caused the wedding to be moved to the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace. The large size of Westminster Abbey allowed more guests to be present at the wedding ceremony and the long drive from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey brought out immense crowds along the route. With each royal wedding, the anticipation and excitement grew.

Bridesmaids and Best Man

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Seated, left to right: Lady Mary Cambridge, Princess Maud of Fife, Lady Rachel Cavendish, Lady Mary Thynne. Standing, left to right: Lady Doris Gordon-Lennox, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyons, Viscount Lascelles, Princess Mary, Major Sir Victor Mackenzie, Lady Diana Bridgeman, Lady May Cambridge.

Major Sir Victor Mackenzie, 3rd Baronet was the best man. Like the groom, Sir Victor was wounded twice in World War I and mentioned in dispatches. In 1932, he was made Groom in Waiting to King George V, serving in the role until 1936. In 1936, he was made an Extra Groom in Waiting to King Edward VIII and retained that position in the household of King George VI from 1937 until his death in 1944. He never married.

Bridesmaids:

  • Princess Maud of Fife, first cousin of the bride, daughter of Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife and Princess Louise, Princess Royal, married Charles Carnegie, 11th Earl of Southesk
  • Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, future sister-in-law of the bride, daughter of Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore, married the future King George VI
  • Lady Diana Bridgeman, first cousin once removed of the groom, daughter of Orlando Bridgeman, 5th Earl of Bradford, married Sir Robert Henry Edward Abdy, 5th Baronet
  • Lady May Cambridge, maternal first cousin and paternal second cousin of the bride, daughter of Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone (brother of Queen Mary) and Princess Alice of Albany (granddaughter of Queen Victoria), married Sir Henry Abel Smith
  • Lady Mary Cambridge, maternal first cousin of the bride, daughter of Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge (brother of Queen Mary), married Henry Somerset, 10th Duke of Beaufort
  • Lady Rachel Cavendish, daughter of Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire, married James Stuart, 1st Viscount Stuart of Findhorn
  • Lady Doris Gordon-Lennox, daughter of Charles Gordon-Lennox, 8th Duke of Richmond, married Commander Clare George Vyner
  • Lady Mary Thynne, daughter of Thomas Thynne, 5th Marquess of Bath, married (1) Charles Wilson, 3rd Baron Nunburnholme (2) Sir Ulick Alexander

Wedding Attire

Viscount Lascelles and Princess Mary; Credit – Wikipedia

The groom and best man both wore the uniform of the Grenadier Guards. Across his scarlet tunic, the groom wore the blue sash of the Order of the Garter, bestowed upon him by King George V the day before the wedding.

Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon in the dress she wore as a bridesmaid at the wedding of Princess Mary and Viscount Lascelles; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

The eight bridesmaids wore dresses of frosted cloth of silver over ivory satin. At their waists was a big true lover’s knot in blue, Princess Mary’s favorite color, and they carried bouquets of sweet peas, the bride’s favorite flower. Each bridesmaid wore a brooch given by Viscount Lascelles – a crystal jewel studded with sapphires and diamonds with two coronets and the initials M and H.

Princess Mary’s wedding dress was designed by Messrs. Reville, Ltd. of Hanover Square, London. The dress was made of cloth of silver with an ivory silk train embroidered with emblematic flowers of the British Empire. The cloth of silver was brought by Queen Mary from India during her visit in 1911. The silk train was woven by hand by workers in Braintree, Essex, England, an old English silk manufacturing center where the art of silk weaving was passed down from generation to generation.

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Princess Mary’s floral bridal wreath

Instead of wearing a tiara, Princess Mary wore a floral bridal wreath. To complement her wedding dress, Mary wore a short single strand of pearls and a diamond and pearl brooch suspended from a very fine chain, a gift from the groom. On her bodice, she wore the brooch given to her by the Royal Scots regiment, the oldest regiment in the British Army when she was appointed their Colonel-in-Chief.

The Wedding

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An interior view of Westminster Abbey during the wedding ceremony

Over 2,000 wedding guests began arriving at Westminster Abbey at 9:00 AM and by 10:00 AM, most of them were in their seats. At 11:15 AM, the members of the British Royal Family were ready for their procession. They were led by Queen Alexandra, the grandmother of the bride. Closely following was Queen Mary, the mother of the bride, in a white dress covered with gold embroidery, wearing the blue sash of the Order of the Garter, and bedecked with diamond jewelry. Soon, cheers from the street, coming through the open Abbey door, heralded the arrival of King George V and his only daughter Princess Mary. The wedding coach was not the familiar Gold State Coach that had been used at State Openings of Parliament but the coach known as The Glass Coach.

At the west door, the bride was joined by the eight bridesmaids, who had been awaiting her in Little Poet’s Corner, where poets who are not honored in the better-known Poet’s Corner in the South Transept are remembered. King George V was in the uniform of colonel-in-chief of the Grenadier Guards, in honor of the groom who served in the Grenadier Guards during World War I. As the bridal procession moved past the grave of the Unknown Warrior, whose remains were brought from France and buried there in 1920, their thoughts must have flashed back to those lost in World War I. A year later, when one of Mary’s bridesmaids, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, married the future King George VI, she laid her bouquet of white roses on the grave of the Unknown Warrior. No doubt she was thinking of her brother Fergus Bowes-Lyon and all the other British soldiers who had died in World War I. It has become a tradition that royal brides have their bouquets placed on the grave of the Unknown Warrior.

The wedding ceremony, the typical Church of England service, was conducted by Randall Davidson, Archbishop of Canterbury, Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of York, Arthur Winnington-Ingram, Bishop of London, and Herbert Ryle, Dean of Westminster.

Princess Mary signing the register in Edward the Confessor’s Chapel at Westminster Abbey, February 28, 1922 by Frank O. Salisbury; Credit – www.harewood.org

The signing of the register took place in Edward the Confessor’s Chapel, among the tombs of five kings and six queens. The register was signed by the bride and groom and attested by King George V and Queen Mary; Henry Lascelles, 5th Earl of Harewood and Florence Lascelles, Countess of Harewood; Randall Davidson, Archbishop of Canterbury; Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of York; and Herbert Ryle, Dean of Westminster.

Music

Before the wedding, as the guests arrived, the following music was played on the organ by Sidney Nicholson, organist of Westminster Abbey:

  • “Solemn Melody” by Walford Davies
  • “Trumpet Voluntary” by Henry Purcell
  • “Marche Nuptiale” by Alexandre Guilmant
  • Four Movement from “Water Music” by Georg Friedrich Handel
  • “Benediction Nupitale” by Camille Saint-Saens
  • “Bridal March” by Hubert Parry
  • “Imperial March” by Edward Elgar

During the wedding, the following was performed by Sidney Nicholson, organist of Westminster Abbey and the Choir of Westminster Abbey:

  • Procession of the Bride: The hymn “Lead Us, Heavenly Father” was sung
  • After the solemnization of matrimony, as the couple moved to the altar: Psalm 67 “God be merciful unto us” with music by Thomas Tertius Noble was sung
  • After the address by the Archbishop of Canterbury: The hymn “Praise My Soul The King of Heaven” by Sir John Goss was sung
  • Before the signing of the register: The National Anthem, “God Save The King” was sung
  • During the signing of the register: The anthem “Beloved, Let Us Love One Another” written especially for the occasion by Sidney Nicholson was sung
  • Procession of the Bride and Groom, Clergy, King and Queen, Royal Family: Bridal March from “Romeo and Juliet” by Charles Gounod and “Wedding March” by Felix Mendelssohn were played on the organ

After the Wedding

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Buckingham Palace Balcony Appearance: Left to Right – King George V, Princess Mary, Viscount Lascelles, Queen Alexandra, and Queen Mary

The newlyweds proceeded back to Buckingham Palace, with huge crowds cheering them along the way. The wedding breakfast at Buckingham Palace was a small affair, only a hundred people were present, members of the bride and groom’s families and some of the bridesmaids.

Each table sat ten people and was decorated with white lilacs and pink tulips. At the main table, King George V sat with Princess Mary on his right. Continuing around the circular table on the right sat the groom’s mother the Countess of Harewood, Mary’s brother Prince Henry, the Dowager Countess of Bradford (the groom’s maternal grandmother), Mary’s brother The Duke of York (the future King George VI), Queen Alexandra, the groom’s father the Earl of Harewood, Queen Mary and the groom Viscount Lascelles.

As the newlyweds were ready to leave the palace, everyone went to the Grand Hall where the newlyweds were pelted with rose-leaf confetti. A huge crowd had waited patiently outside Buckingham Palace to see the couple as they left for the honeymoon. At 3:45 PM, an open landau drawn by four gray horses carrying the bride and groom appeared in the quadrangle. King George V and his four sons and walked to where the guests had gathered in the forecourt. They all took up positions on either side of the arch through which the landau was to pass. They were joined by some of the bridesmaids and two little pages. They were all given confetti shaped like horseshoes and silver slippers. As the landau passed the crowd, the bride and groom were pelted with the confetti so hard by the King and the Princes that the couple had to duck down. Everyone laughed, especially the King.

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King George V, The Duke of York, Prince Henry and Prince George, throwing confetti in the shape of small horseshoes and silver slippers as Princess Mary and Viscount Lascelles leave Buckingham Palace

As the couple made their way to Paddington Station, they were greeted by throngs of people cheering loudly. At Paddington Station, the couple boarded a train to their honeymoon destination, Weston Park in Weston-under-Lizard, Staffordshire, England, the country home of the Earls of Bradford, the family of Viscount Lascelles’ mother. After some days of seclusion, the newlyweds traveled to Italy and then spent time with Bernard Forbes, 8th Earl of Granard and Beatrice Forbes, Countess of Granard at their Paris home.

Children

 

Mary and Henry had two sons:

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. (2019). Wedding dress of Princess Mary. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_dress_of_Princess_Mary [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2014). Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/henry-lascelles-6th-earl-of-harewood/ [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2014). Princess Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-mary-princess-royal-countess-of-harewood/ [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].
  • Hough, Richard. (1991). Born Royal – The Lives and Loves of the Young Windsors. Leicester: Ulverscroft.
  • Nytimes.com. (1922). LASCELLES PICKS BEST MAN.; Names Sir Victor Mackenzie, Twice Wounded in World War.. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1922/02/07/archives/lascelles-picks-best-man-names-sir-victor-mackenzie-twice-wounded.html?searchResultPosition=45 [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].
  • Nytimes.com. (1922). LONDON BEGINS FETE ON EVE OF WEDDING OF PRINCESS MARY; PRINCESS MARY, A BRIDE TODAY, HER WEDDING COACH, AND SCENE OF HER HONEYMOON Sightseers and Holiday Makers Watch for a Glimpse of Bridal Couple. CHEERED AS THEY APPEAR Princess Limits Decorations’ Cost, but Triumphal Arches Are Erected. RECEIVES WANAMAKER GIFT Ambassador and Mrs. Harvey to Be Only Americans Officially Present in Abbey. Lascelles Eludes Crowd. Harveys Only American Guests. Letter of Thanks to Wanamaker. 170 to Be at Breakfast. Lascelles May Be Made a Duke. Rescuer of Lascelles Invited. Princess Will Change Initial Bay Horses to Draw Carriages. Trades and Crafts Offer Gifts Fine Fabric for Bride’s Train. Princess’s Coat of Arms.. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1922/02/28/archives/london-begins-fete-on-eve-of-wedding-of-princess-mary-princess-mary.html?searchResultPosition=55 [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].
  • Nytimes.com. (1922). PRINCESS GOING TO PARIS.; Mary and Her Husband to Be Guests at Granard Mansion.. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1922/03/03/archives/princess-going-to-paris-mary-and-her-husband-to-be-guests-at.html?searchResultPosition=59 [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].
  • Nytimes.com. (1922). PRINCESS MARY ENGAGED TO WED LORD LASCELLES; Betrothal to the Viscount Is Formally Announced by the King and Queen. HE HAS LARGE FORTUNEHeir to Title and Yorkshire Estates of Earl of Harewood–Distinguished Himself in the War. ENGAGEMENT IS POPULARMarriage of Member of Royal Family Within the Kingdom Is Welcomed by the Press.. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1921/11/23/archives/princess-mary-engaged-to-wed-lord-lascelles-betrothal-to-the.html?searchResultPosition=32 [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].
  • Nytimes.com. (1922). PRINCESS MARY’S GOWN TO BE CLOTH OF SILVER; Her Wedding Dress to Have a Train of Ivory Silk Woven by Hand.. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1922/01/17/archives/princess-marys-gown-to-be-cloth-of-silver-her-wedding-dress-to-have.html?searchResultPosition=40 [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].
  • Nytimes.com. (1922). PRINCESS MARY WED IN REGAL SPLENDOR TO LORD LASCELLES IN WESTMINSTER; ALL LONDON JOINS IN THE REJOICING; GORGEOUS SCENE IN CHURCH Women in Brilliant Gowns and Jewels for Princess’s Wedding. LONDON WAR GLOOM BROKEN King Joins in Throwing Rice as Couple Leave on Their Honeymoon. BRIDAL TRIP TO SHROPSHIRE Satisfaction Is Voiced That the Princess’s Match Means No Foreign Tie.. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1922/03/01/archives/princess-mary-wed-in-regal-splendor-to-lord-lascelles-in.html?searchResultPosition=57 [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].
  • Nytimes.com. (1922). PRINCESS SECLUDED ON HER HONEYMOON; Mary and Lascelles Even Dispense With the Telephone on the Weston Estate. GRATEFUL FOR GOOD WILL Musical Part of the Wedding Ceremony is to Be Repeated at Westminster.. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1922/03/02/archives/princess-secluded-on-her-honeymoon-mary-and-lascelles-even-dispense.html?searchResultPosition=58 [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].
  • Pope-Hennessy, James. (1959). Queen Mary, 1867-1953. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
  • Royal-magazin.de. (2019). Jewels – Wedding gifts to Mary Princess Royal| Viscountess Lascelles | Countess Harewood. [online] Available at: https://royal-magazin.de/england/mary-lascelles-harewood/princess-royal-mary.htm [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].
  • Trove. (1922). PRINCESS MARY’S WEDDING – PAGEANT IN STREET AND ABBEY STORY OF AN EYE-WITNESS. (FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.) – The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1957) – 6 Apr 1922. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4671031 [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].
  • Westminster-abbey.org. (1922). Order of Service of the Marriage of Her Royal Highness Princess Mary and The Viscount Lascelles, D.S.O.. [online] Available at: https://www.westminster-abbey.org/media/5182/princess-mary-wedding-1922.pdf [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].
  • Westminster Abbey. (2019). Wedding of Princess Mary, daughter of George V | Westminster Abbey. [online] Available at: https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/royals/princess-mary-daughter-of-george-v [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].

First Cousins: Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Credit – http://kongehuset.dk/english – photographer: Jacob Jørgensen

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (born 1940)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark was born on April 16, 1940, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark. She was the eldest daughter of the three daughters of King Frederik IX of Denmark and Princess Ingrid of Sweden. Her paternal grandparents were King Christian X of Denmark and Duchess Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Her maternal grandparents were King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife Princess Margaret of Connaught, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, who died before her husband became king. Queen Margrethe married Henri de Laborde de Monpezat and had two sons.

Margrethe has nine genetic first cousins and two first cousins by adoption. She shares her first cousins with her siblings Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, Queen of Greece.

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Queen Margrethe II’s Paternal Uncle: Child of King Christian X of Denmark and Duchess Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

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Queen Margrethe II’s Maternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife Princess Margaret of Connaught

PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Hereditary Prince Knud of Denmark and Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark

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Princess Elisabeth of Denmark (1935 – 2018)

Princess Elisabeth was the only daughter and the eldest of the three children of Prince Knud of Denmark, the younger son of King Christian X of Denmark, and Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark. Because she did not receive any funds from the Danish government, Elisabeth worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and retired after 45 years of employment. Princess Elisabeth never married, perhaps to retain her position within the Danish Royal Family. Until her death, she was the last person in the line of succession to the Danish throne. Elisabeth had a long-term relationship with Claus Hermansen, a videographer, until his death in 1997.

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Count Ingolf of Rosenborg with his wife Countess Sussie

Count Ingolf of Rosenborg, born Prince Ingolf of Denmark (born 1940)

Born Prince Ingolf of Denmark, he was the elder son of the two sons and the second of the three children of Prince Knud of Denmark (son of King Christian X) and Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark. Ingolf decided to marry Inge Terney, an untitled commoner, without seeking the permission of his uncle King Frederik IX because he had little chance of succeeding to the throne and it was expected that the King would not give his permission. After his marriage, he lost both his royal style and title and his place in the Danish line of succession. He was styled His Excellency Count Ingolf of Rosenborg. After the death of his first wife, Ingolf married lawyer Sussie Hjorhøy Pedersen. He had no children from either marriage.

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Count Christian of Rosenborg and his wife Countess Anne Dorte; Credit – http://danishroyalmediawatch.blogspot.com

Count Christian of Rosenborg, born Prince Christian of Denmark (1942 – 2013)

Born Prince Christian of Denmark, he was the younger son of the two sons and the youngest of the three children of Prince Knud of Denmark (son of King Christian X) and Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark. Like his brother Ingolf, Christian married Anne Dorte Maltoft-Nielsen without his uncle King Frederik IX, forfeiting his succession rights and his royal style and title. After his wedding, he was styled His Excellency Count Christian of Rosenborg. The couple had three daughters who are not in the Danish line of succession.

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Princess Margaretha of Sweden, Mrs. Ambler (born 1934)

Princess Margaretha was the eldest of the five children and the eldest of the four daughters of Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Her father was the son of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife Princess Margaret of Connaught. Her mother was the daughter of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Viktoria Adelheid of Schleswig-Holstein. She is a great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria through both of her parents. Princess Margaretha married British businessman John Ambler. Upon marriage, she lost her royal style and was styled Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler. The couple settled in England and had three children.

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Princess Birgitta of Sweden, Princess of Hohenzollern (born 1937)

Princess Birgitta was the second of the five children and the second of the four daughters of Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Her father was the son of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife Princess Margaret of Connaught. Her mother was the daughter of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Viktoria Adelheid of Schleswig-Holstein. She is a great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria through both of her parents. Princess Birgitta married Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern and the couple had three children. Because she married a man of princely status, Birgitta retained her royal style and title as Princess of Sweden and is the only one of her sisters to remain an official member of the Swedish Royal House.

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Princess Désirée of Sweden, Baroness Silfverschiöld (born 1938)

Princess Désirée was the third of the five children and the third of the four daughters of Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Her father was the son of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife Princess Margaret of Connaught. Her mother was the daughter of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Viktoria Adelheid of Schleswig-Holstein. She is a great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria through both of her parents. The princess married Baron Nils-August Otto Carl Niclas Silfverschiöld and the couple had three children. Due to her husband’s non-royal status, Désirée lost her royal status was styled Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld.

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Princess Christina of Sweden, Mrs. Magnuson  (born 1943)

Princess Christina was the fourth of the five children and the fourth of the four daughters of Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Her father was the son of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife Princess Margaret of Connaught. Her mother was the daughter of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Viktoria Adelheid of Schleswig-Holstein. She is a great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria through both of her parents. Christina married Tord Magnuson and they had three sons. Like her sisters Margaretha and Désirée, she lost her royal style and title, becoming Princess Christina, Silfverschiöld.

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King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden (born 1946)

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden was the fifth of the five children and the only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Her father was the son of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife Princess Margaret of Connaught. Her mother was the daughter of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Viktoria Adelheid of Schleswig-Holstein. He is a great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria through both of his parents. When Carl Gustaf was only nine months old, his father died in an airplane crash. At that time, Carl Gustaf became second in the line of succession behind his grandfather. His grandfather King Gustaf VI Adolf died in 1973 and Carl Gustaf became king at the age of 27. Carl Gustaf married Silvia Sommerlath, born in Germany, and the couple had two daughters and one son.

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Count Sigvard Bernadotte of Wisborg, born Prince Sigvard of Sweden, and Sonia Robbert

Count Michael Bernadotte of Wisborg (born 1944)

Count Michael Bernadotte of Wisborg married Christine Diotima Elisabeth Wellhofer and they had one daughter.

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Maternal First Cousins:  Adopted Children of Count Carl Johan Bernadotte of Wisborg, born Prince Carl Johan of Sweden, and Kerstin Wijkmark

Monika Bernadotte (born 1948, adopted in 1951)

Monika Bernadotte married Count Johan Peder Bonde. They had three children and divorced after 21 years of marriage.

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Christian Bernadotte (born 1949, adopted in 1950)

Christian Bernadotte married Marianne Jenny. They have three children.

The Peerage: Christian Bernadotte, Count Bernadotte

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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

  • Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
  • Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

First Cousins: Philippe, King of the Belgians

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Philippe, King of the Belgians (born 1960)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

Philippe, King of the Belgians was born on April 15, 1960, at the Château du Belvédère in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium. He was the eldest of the three children and the elder of the two sons of Albert II, King of the Belgians and Paola Ruffo di Calabria. His father Albert II was the second of the two sons and the youngest of the three children of Leopold III, King of the Belgians and his first wife Princess Astrid of Sweden. His mother Paola Ruffo di Calabria came from an Italian noble family. She was the seventh and youngest child of World War I Italian flying ace Prince Fulco Ruffo di Calabria and Countess Luisa Gazelli dei Conti de Rossana e di Sebastiano. Philippe married Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz and had two daughters and two sons. He became King of the Belgians on July 21, 2013, upon the abdication of his father King Albert II.

Philippe has 25 first cousins. He shares his first cousins with his siblings Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este and Prince Laurent of Belgium.

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King Philippe’s Paternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Leopold III, King of the Belgians and his first wife Princess Astrid of Sweden

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King Philippe’s Paternal Half Aunts and Uncles: Children of King Leopold III of the Belgians and his second wife Lilian Baels

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King Philippe’s Maternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Prince Fulco Ruffo di Calabria and Countess Luisa Gazelli dei Conti de Rossana e di Sebastiano

  • Maria Cristina Ruffo di Calabria (1920–2003), married (1) Casimiro San Martino d´Aglie dei Marchesi di San Germano, had issue;  (2) Count Ernesto Rossi di Montelera, had issue
  • Laura Ruffo di Calabria (1921–1972), married Bettino, Baron Ricasoli Firidolfi, 31th Baron of Brolio, had issue
  • Fabrizio, Prince Ruffo di Calabria-Santapau, 13th Prince of Palazzolo, 14th Prince of Scilla, 7th Duke of Guardia Lombarda, 13th Marquis of Scilla and 18th Count of Sinopoli (1922–2005), married Maria Vaciago, had issue
  • Augusto Ruffo di Calabria (1925–1943), unmarried, killed in battle at sea during World War II, unmarried
  • Giovannella Ruffo di Calabria (1927–1941), unmarried
  • Antonello Ruffo di Calabria (1930–2017), married Rosa Maria Mastrogiovanni Tasca, had issue

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium and Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg

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Princess Marie Astrid with her husband

Princess Marie Astrid of Luxembourg, Archduchess of Austria (born 1954)

Princess Marie Astrid of Luxembourg married Archduke Carl Christian of Austria, a grandson of the last Emperor of Austria-Hungary, Karl I. The couple had two daughters and three daughters. Marie Astrid earned her certification as a registered nurse with a specialized certificate in tropical medicine.

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Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg (born 1955)

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg has been the reigning Grand Duke of Luxembourg since the abdication of his father Grand Duke Jean in 2000. Henri married Maria Teresa Mestre y Batista-Falla who was born in Havana, Cuba, and they have four sons and one daughter.

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Credit – www.zimbio.com

Prince Jean of Luxembourg (born 1957)

Prince Jean of Luxembourg is the twin brother of Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg. A year after having a child, Prince Jean and Hélène Vestur married. At the time of their child’s birth, Jean gave up his succession rights.  Jean and Hélène had a total of four children. Hélène and her children took the surname ‘de Nassau’ with no royal style or title. They were later raised to Count/Countess de Nassau. Grand Duke Henri elevated the children to Prince/Princess of Nassau, with the style of Royal Highness. However, Jean’s children do not have any succession rights. After seventeen years of marriage, Jean and Hélène divorced. Jean made a second marriage with Diane de Guerre. She holds the title of Countess de Nassau. They have no children.

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Credit – www.zimbio.com

Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg, Princess of Liechtenstein (born 1957)

Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg is the twin sister of Prince Jean of Luxembourg. She married Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein, the third son of Prince Franz Josef II of Liechtenstein and Countess Georgina von Wilczek, and a younger brother of the currently reigning Prince Hans-Adam II. The marriage of Margaretha and Nikolaus would be the last between two reigning royal houses in Europe. The couple had four children.

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Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg (born 1963)

Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg married Sibilla Weiller y Torlonia, a distant cousin. Sibilla, a descendant of Queen Victoria through her daughter Princess Beatrice, is a granddaughter of Infanta Beatriz of Spain and a second cousin to King Felipe VI of Spain. Guillaume and Sibilla had four children.

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Paternal Half First Cousins: Children of Princess Marie-Esmerelda of Belgium and Salvador Moncada)

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Princess Esmeralda of Belgium with her husband Salvador Moncada with their children Leopoldo and Alexandra
  • Alexandra Léopoldine Moncada (born 1998)
  • Leopoldo Daniel Moncada (born 2001)

Alexandra and Leopoldo’s mother Princess Marie-Esmerelda of Belgium was the daughter of Leopold III, King of the Belgians and his second wife Lilian Baels. Lilian and Leopold married in a religious ceremony held in the chapel at the Palace of Laeken in 1941. The couple planned to hold a civil ceremony after the war, but instead held it in December of the same year, after discovering that they were expecting a child. There were several issues with the marriage which further damaged Leopold’s reputation with the Belgian people. First, the order of the ceremonies went against Belgian law, which states that a civil ceremony must take place before a religious one. Secondly, many Belgians felt that the marriage sullied the memory of Leopold’s first wife, their beloved Queen Astrid who had died in a car accident at the age of 29. Following the marriage, Lilian was given the title Princess de Réthy and was not styled as Queen. It was also decided that any children would be Prince/Princess of Belgium, but without any rights of succession. Leopold and Lilian had three children.

Alexandra and Leopoldo are not in the Belgian line of succession and are not considered members of the Belgian Royal Family. They are private citizens and do not perform any royal functions. Their father Sir Salvador Moncada is a Honduran-British pharmacologist and they have lived in Belgian, Honduras and the United Kingdom.

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Maria Cristina Ruffo di Calabria and Casimiro San Martino d´Aglie dei Marchesi di San Germano

  • Emanuela San Martino d’Agliè married Count Ernesto Rossi di Montelera, had four daughters
  • Antonella San Martino d’Agliè married Count Ippolito Calvi di Bergolo Rocca Saporiti, had one son
  • Giovanna San Martino d’Aglie (born 1945) married Alvaro de Orléans-Borbón y Parodi Delfino (son of Infante Alvaro de Orléans-Borbón, Duke of Galliera and Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, granddaughter of Queen Victoria), divorced, had one daughter and two sons
  • Nicolo San Martino d’Aglie (born 1948) married (1) Princess Catherine Napoléon (daughter of Louis, Prince Napoléon), divorced, no children (2) Nobile Anna Maria Gazzana Priaroggia, had three sons and one daughter
  • Filippo San Martino d’Agile di San Germano (born 1953) married Cristina Maria Margherita Flesia. had two sons

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Laura Ruffo di Calabria and Bettino, Baron Ricasoli Firidolfi, 31th Baron of Brolio

  • Andrea Ricasoli Firidolfi Zanchini Marsuppini Acciaiuoli Salviati (1948 – 1982)
  • Luisa Ricasoli Firidolfi Zanchini Marsuppini Acciaiuoli Salviati (born 1950) married Carlo Lodovico Bicocchi, had three daughters
  • Maria Teresa Ricasoli Firidolfi Zanchini Marsuppini Acciaiuoli Salviati (born 1954) married Roberto Giunta, had two daughters
  • Giovanni Francesco Ricasoli Firidolfi Zanchini, (born 1956) married Eva Holmstrom, had one daughter

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Fabrizio, Prince Ruffo di Calabria-Santapau and Maria Vaciago

  • Fulco IX, Prince Ruffo di Calabria (1954), Head of the House of Ruffo di Calabria, married and divorced Melba Vincens Bello and then married for a second time to Luisa Tricarico.
  • Augusto Ruffo di Calabria (born 1955) married Princess Christiana zu Windisch-Graetz and had two daughters and one son.
  • Imara Ruffo di Calabria (born 1958) married (1) Uberto Imar Gashe, had one daughter, divorced (2) Baron Marco Tonci Ottieri della Ciaia, had one son
  • Umberto Ruffo di Calabria (born 1960) married Leontina, Marchesa Pallavicini and had one son and one daughter
  • Alessandro Ruffo di Calabria (born 1964) married (1) Princess Mafalda of Savoy-Aosta, divorced (2) Marzia Palau

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Antonello Ruffo di Calabria and Rosa Maria Mastrogiovanni Tasca

  • Covella Ruffo di Calabria (born 1962)
  • Lucio Ruffo di Calabria (born 1964)
  • Domitilla Ruffo di Calabria (born 1965) married Don Giovanni dei Baroni Porcari Li Destri and had one son and one daughter.
  • Claudia Ruffo di Calabria (born 1969) married Marcello Salom.

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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

  • Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
  • Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

First Cousins: Albert II, King of the Belgians

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Albert II, King of the Belgians (born 1934)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

Albert II, King of the Belgians was born at Stuyvenberg Castle in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium on June 6, 1934, the second of the two sons and the youngest of the three children of Leopold III, King of the Belgians and Princess Astrid of Sweden. His elder brother was Baudouin, King of the Belgians and his sister Joséphine-Charlotte was the wife of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg.

Albert’s father Leopold III was the eldest of the two sons and the eldest of the three children of Albert I, King of the Belgians and Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria. Princess Astrid of Sweden, his mother, was the third of the four children and the youngest of the three daughters of Prince Carl of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland, and Princess Ingeborg of Denmark. Princess Astrid’s paternal grandparents were King Oscar II of Sweden and Sofia of Nassau. Her maternal grandparents were King Frederick VIII of Denmark and Louise of Sweden.  Albert married Paola Ruffo di Calabria and had two sons and one daughter. In 2013, Albert II, King of the Belgians abdicated in favor of his son Philippe.

King Albert II has ten first cousins. He shares his first cousins with his siblings Princess Josephine-Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg and Baudouin, King of the Belgians and his paternal first cousins with his half-siblings from his father’s second marriage to Lilian Baels, Prince Alexandre, Princess Marie-Christine, and Princess Marie-Esméralda.

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King Albert II’s Paternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Albert I, King of the Belgians and Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria

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King Albert II’s Maternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Prince Carl of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland, and Princess Ingeborg of Denmark

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Marie José of Belgium and King Umberto II of Italy

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Princess Maria Pia of Savoy (born 1934)

Princess Maria Pia of Savoy met her husband Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia, son of Prince Paul of Yugoslavia and Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark, on the famous royal cruise on the yacht Agamemnon, hosted by the Greek royal family. The couple had twin sons, another son and a daughter before they divorced. Maria Pia married a second time to Prince Michel of Bourbon-Parma, son of Prince René of Bourbon-Parma and Princess Margaret of Denmark.

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Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, Prince of Naples (born 1938)

Prince Vittorio Emanuele uses the title Duke of Savoy and claims the headship of the House of Savoy although this claim is disputed by the Dukes of Aosta. He married Marina Ricolfi-Doria,  Swiss biscuit heiress and a former world-ranked water skier. They had one son.

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Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy (born 1940)

After Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran divorced his second wife, he expressed interest in marrying Princess Maria Gabriella. However, Pope John XXIII strongly disapproved and forbade the marriage. The princess married Romanian entrepreneur Robert Zellinger de Balkany with whom she had one daughter. The couple divorced after fourteen years of marriage. After the death of her father, the former King Umberto II of Italy, Princess Maria Gabriella launched the King Umberto II Foundation, dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of the House of Savoy. She is a watercolor artist, and a writer, and has published several books on her family.

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With Italian actor Maurizio Arena

Princess Maria Beatrice of Savoy (born 1943)

Princess Maria Beatrice of Savoy wanted to marry Italian actor Maurizio Arena but was prevented by her family. Instead, she married Argentinian Luis Rafael Reyna-Corvalán y Dillon. The couple had one daughter and two sons, one of whom died shortly after birth and the other died at the age of 24 after falling from the terrace of his home. Maria Beatrice and her husband divorced after 27 years of marriage and a year later her former husband was murdered.

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Margaretha of Sweden and Prince Axel of Denmark

Credit – https://www.findagrave.com

Prince George Valdemar of Denmark (1920 – 1986)

Prince George Valdemar was the second husband of Anne Bowes-Lyon, a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The couple had no children. Because the prince received permission from King Frederik IX of Denmark to marry, he remained in the line of succession. However, he lost his place in the line of succession three years later because the Danish Act of Succession of 1953 restricted the throne to those descended from King Christian X of Denmark.

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Credit – https://www.findagrave.com

Count Flemming Valdemar of Rosenborg (1922 – 2002)

Born His Highness Prince Flemming Valdemar of Denmark, he lost his place in the succession when he married Ruth Nielsen without the permission of King Frederik IX of Denmark. The couple had three sons and one daughter.

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Märtha of Sweden, Crown Princess of Norway and the future King Olav V of Norway

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Princess Ragnhild of Norway, Mrs. Lorentzen (1930 – 2012)

Princess Ragnhild was the first native Norwegian princess born in Norway in over 600 years. She married Erling Lorentzen, a commoner and her former bodyguard. Reportedly, her grandfather King Haakon VII consented to the marriage only after the intervention of Ragnhild’s mother Crown Princess Märtha. Upon her marriage, Ragnhild lost her style of Royal Highness, becoming known instead as Her Highness Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen. Ragnhild and her husband had one son and two daughters.

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Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner (born 1932)

Princess Astrid married Johan Martin Ferner, a Norwegian sailor and Olympic medalist. Ferner’s father was a master tailor and established a department store in Oslo, Norway which his son inherited. Because of her marriage to a commoner, Astrid lost her style of Her Royal Highness, becoming just Her Highness. The couple had three daughters and two sons.

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King Harald V of Norway (born 1937)

In 1959, Harald met Sonja Haraldsen, a friend of a friend, at a party. The relationship between the Crown Prince and Sonja was controversial as many people including politicians and journalists felt the Crown Prince should marry a princess and not a Norwegian commoner. The controversy continued for years as did the relationship and Harald made it clear he would not marry if he could not marry Sonja. Finally, in 1968, when King Olav V felt the position of the Norwegian people had changed to favor Sonja, he consulted with parliamentary leaders and other government leaders and gave his consent for the Crown Prince to marry a commoner. The couple had two children.

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Carl Bernadotte, born Prince Carl of Sweden, Duke of Östergötland, and Countess Elsa von Rosen

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Countess Madeleine Bernadotte. Mrs. Kogevinas and Bernhard Mach

Countess Madeleine Bernadotte, Mrs. Kogevinas (born 1938)

Madeleine first married Charles Ullens, Count de Schooten-Whetnall. The couple had three daughters and one son before they divorced after 18 years of marriage. Madeleine married again to Nicos Eletherios Kogevinas and they had one daughter.

The Peerage: Madeleine Ingeborg Ella Astra Elsa Bernadotte, Countess Bernadotte

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Works Cited

  • Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
  • Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

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.