Richard of Lincoln, Illegitimate Son of King Henry I of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

King Henry I of England, father of Richard of Lincoln; Credit – Wikipedia

Richard of Lincoln was one of the three children – one legitimate (Henry I’s only legitimate son and heir) and two illegitimate – of King Henry I of England who were killed in the tragic sinking of the White Ship in 1120. Richard was born before 1101. His mother was probably Ansfride (circa 1070 – 1164), who was sometimes called a mistress and sometimes called a concubine. Ansfride was the widow of Anskill of Abingdon, a knight and a tenant of Abingdon Abbey in Abingdon, England, who died following a few days of harsh treatment after being imprisoned by King William II Rufus, King Henry I’s brother and predecessor. Richard’s paternal grandparents were King William I of England (the Conqueror) and Matilda of Flanders.

King Henry I holds the record for the British monarch with the most illegitimate children, 25 or so illegitimate children who were Richard’s half-siblings.

Richard’s probable full siblings:

  • Juliane of Fontevrault (circa 1090 – 1136), married Eustace de Pacy, Lord of Pacy, Breteuil, and Pont-Saint-Pierre, had two sons and two daughters
  • Fulk FitzRoy (circa 1092 – 1132), a monk at Abingdon Abbey

Richard had two royal half-siblings from her father’s marriage to Matilda of Scotland:

Richard was brought up and educated by Robert Bloet, Bishop of Lincoln, who had also educated Richard’s half-brother Robert FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Gloucester, another illegitimate son of King Henry I.

Richard fought in the war between his father and King Louis VI of France in which King Henry I had to defend his territories in the Duchy of Normandy, now part of France. Richard was at his father’s side during the siege of the castle of Évreux being held by Henry I’s most detested enemy, Amaury III de Montfort. Richard was also at the Battle of Brémule on August 20, 1119, where the decisive English victory led to Louis VI’s accepting Richard’s half-brother William Ætheling as Duke of Normandy. In 1120, Richard was betrothed to Amice de Gaël, daughter of Raoul II de Gaël, Lord of Gaël, Montfort, and Breteuil. However, the marriage never took place because of the tragedy of the White Ship on November 25, 1120.

Because the Kings of England still held Normandy (in France) and were Dukes of Normandy, they were often in Normandy, and this was the case in November 1120. After the successful military campaign in which King Henry I of England had defeated King Louis VI of France at the Battle of Brémule, the English were finally preparing to return to England. King Henry I was offered the White Ship for his return to England, but he had already made other arrangements. Instead, Henry suggested that his only son and heir William Ætheling, Duke of Normandy sail on the White Ship along with his retinue which included William’s illegitimate half-brother Richard of Lincoln, William’s illegitimate half-sister Matilda, Countess of Perch, Richard d’Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester and many of the heirs of the great estates of England and Normandy.

The sinking of the White Ship; Credit – Wikipedia

William Ætheling and his retinue boarded the ship in a festive mood and barrels of wine were brought on board to celebrate the return to England. Soon both passengers and crew were inebriated. By the time the ship was ready to set sail, there were about 300 people on board, including many high-ranking people of Norman England. William and his retinue ordered the captain of the White Ship to overtake the ship of King Henry I so that the White Ship would be the first ship to return to England. Unfortunately, the White Ship hit a submerged rock and capsized.

An 1866 watercolor by Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Louise showing a scene from the sinking of the Blanche Nef or White Ship. A male figure, probably William Ætheling, is shown in a lifeboat to the lower left. He is shown full-length, standing with his hands clasped together and looking up towards his half-sister Matilda, Countess of Perche who is still on board the ship. Drowning men are shown trying to climb into the small boat which is soon to capsize; Credit – Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023

William’s bodyguard quickly got the heir to the throne into the safety of a dinghy. However, William Ætheling heard the screams of his half-sister Matilda, Countess of Perche, and ordered the dinghy to turn back to rescue her. At this point, the White Ship began to sink and the many people in the water desperately sought the safety of William’s dinghy. The chaos and the weight were too much causing William Ætheling’s dinghy to capsize and sink without a trace. The contemporary chronicler Orderic Vitalis claimed that only two people survived the shipwreck by clinging to a rock all night.

The people of the coastal communities of Normandy found bodies washed up on the beaches. Charles Spencer writes in his book The White Ship: Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I’s Dream that among the bodies found was that of Richard of Lincoln. He had been in the water long enough to lose his facial features which had been eaten, rotted, or cut up by the rocks. Richard was identified by his clothing.

King Henry I mourning the loss of three children in the sinking of the White Ship; Credit – Wikipedia

The sinking of the White Ship caused King Henry I to lose two illegitimate children, Richard of Lincoln and Matilda FitzRoy, Countess of Perche, and most importantly, King Henry I’s only son William Ætheling. King Henry I holds the record for the British monarch with the most illegitimate children, 25 or so illegitimate children, but the tragedy of the White Ship left him with only one legitimate child, his daughter Matilda. Henry I’s nephews were the closest male heirs. In January 1121, Henry married a second time to Adeliza of Louvain, hoping for sons, but the marriage remained childless. On Christmas Day in 1226, King Henry I of England gathered his nobles at Westminster where they swore to recognize his daughter Matilda and any future legitimate heir she might have as his successors. That plan did not work out. Upon hearing of Henry I’s death on December 1, 1135, Stephen of Blois, one of Henry I’s nephews, quickly crossed the English Channel from France, seized power, and was crowned King of England on December 22, 1135. This started the terrible civil war between first cousins Stephen and Matilda known as The Anarchy. England did not see peace for more than 18 years until Matilda’s son acceded to the throne as King Henry II of England in 1154.

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

  • Ansfride Concubine #3 of Henry I King of England. geni_family_tree. (2022a, August 22). https://www.geni.com/people/Ansfride-Concubine-3-of-Henry-I-King-Of-England/6000000001563248849
  • Beauclerk-Dewar, Peter, & Powell, Roger. (2006). Right Royal Bastards – The Fruits of Passion. Burke’s Peerage & Gentry LLC.
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2015). King Henry I of England. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-henry-i-of-england/
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2015). The Sinking of the White Ship and How It Affected the English Succession. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/november-25-1120-the-sinking-of-the-white-ship-and-how-it-affected-the-english-succession/
  • Spencer, Charles. (2022). The White Ship: Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I’s Dream. William Collins.
  • Weir, Alison. (2008). Britain’s Royal Families – The Complete Genealogy. Vintage Books.
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023e). Richard of Lincoln, illegitimate son of Henry I of England. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_of_Lincoln_(illegitimate_son_of_Henry_I_of_England)

February 24: Today in Royal History

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor as a boy (center) with his sisters Eleanor (left, future Queen of Portugal and France) and Isabella (right, future Queen of Denmark)

February 24, 1500 – Birth of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, Lord of the Netherlands, Duke of Burgundy at the Prinsenhof in Ghent, County of Flanders, Burgundian State, now in Belgium
Best known as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles was one of the most powerful ever monarchs and had a large number of titles due to his vast inheritance of the Burgundian, Spanish, and Austrian realms. He was the second of the six children and the elder of the two sons of Philip of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, the ruler of the Burgundian State from the House of Habsburg, and Juana I, Queen of Castile and León from the House of Trastámara.
Unofficial Royalty: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, Lord of the Netherlands, Duke of Burgundy

February 24, 1557 – Birth of Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, Archduke of Further Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia in Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, now in Austria
Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor (reigned 1612 – 1619) was also King of Bohemia (reigned 1611 – 1617), Archduke of Austria (reigned 1608 – 1619), Archduke of Further Austria, (1608 – 1619), King of Hungary and Croatia (reigned 1608 – 1618). In 1611, Matthias married his first cousin Anna of Tyrol. Although Matthias was 54 years old, he hoped to have children with his 26-year-old wife but their marriage was childless. Although Matthias and his wife Anna did not leave any children, they left the future Habsburgs a burial site. Matthias and Anna founded the Capuchin Church (German: Kapuzinerkirche) in Vienna, Austria, where the Imperial Crypt (German: Kaisergruft), the traditional burial site of the Habsburgs, is located.
Unofficial Royalty: Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, Archduke of Further Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia

February 24, 1729 – Death of Ernst Ludwig II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany, buried in the Castle Church at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen
Although Ernst Ludwig was the third son, both of his elder brothers died before their father, making him heir to the ducal throne. He became Duke of Saxe-Meiningen upon his father’s death in November 1724. Just fifteen years old, his brief reign was overseen by his two uncles, Friedrich Wilhelm and Anton Ulrich. Ernst Ludwig died just five years later.
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst Ludwig II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

February 24, 1774 – Birth of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, son of King George III of the United Kingdom, at the Queen’s House, now Buckingham Palace, in London, England
Full name: Adolphus Frederick
Through his granddaughter, born Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, wife of King George V of the United Kingdom, Prince Adolphus is an ancestor of the British Royal Family. In 1818, Adolphus married Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, a great-granddaughter of King George II of Great Britain. They had three children including Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, the mother of  Princess Victoria Mary of Teck.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge

February 24, 1777 – Birth of King José I of Portugal at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal
To strengthen an alliance with Spain, a double marriage between Portugal and Spain was arranged between José and Mariana Victoria of Spain, daughter of Felipe V, King of Spain, and between José’s elder sister Barbara and Felipe V’s son and heir Fernando, Prince of Asturias, later Fernando VI, King of Spain. José and Mariana Victoria had four daughters including his successor Maria I, the first reigning Queen of Portugal.
Unofficial Royalty: King José I of Portugal 

February 24, 1906 – Birth of Berthold, Margrave of Baden, Head of the House of Zähringen and pretender to the former Grand Ducal throne of Baden from 1929 until his death in 1963, in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
In 1931 in Baden-Baden, Berthold married Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark, the second daughter of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg (as well as the elder sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh). The couple was second cousins through their mutual great-grandfather, King Christian IX of Denmark. Berthold and Theodora had three children.
Unofficial Royalty: Berthold, Margrave of Baden

February 24, 1931 – Death of Friedrich August II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg at Schloss Rastede in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany; buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in St. Gertrude’s Cemetery in Oldenburg
Friedrich August was the last Grand Duke of Oldenburg, abdicating on November 11, 1918. In 1878, he married Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia, and the couple had one surviving daughter. After his first wife died in 1895, Friedrich August, needing a male heir and a mother for his surviving daughter, married Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. They had five children. Friedrich August became Grand Duke of Oldenburg upon his father’s death in 1900. After his abdication, Friedrich August retired to Schloss Rastede where he took up farming. Claiming an “extremely precarious” financial situation, he petitioned the Oldenburg government for an annual allowance the year after his abdication. Friedrich August, aged 78, died at his home Schloss Rastede on February 24, 1931.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich August II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg

February 24, 1963 – Birth of Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro in Saint-Raphaël, Var, France
Prince Carlo is one of the current claimants to the headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, and a pretender to the throne of the former kingdom. He succeeded his father in 2008.
Full name: Carlo Maria Bernardo Gennaro
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro

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.

Royal News Recap for Thursday, February 22, 2024

Please join us on our Facebook group at Facebook: Unofficial Royalty

* * * * * * * * * *

Royal News Recaps are published Mondays-Fridays and on Sundays, except for Thanksgiving in the United States, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve. The Royal News Recap for Sundays will be a weekend recap. If there is any breaking or major news, we will add an update as necessary.

* * * * * * * * * *

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.

* * * * * * * * * *

Jordan

Netherlands

Spain

Sweden

United Kingdom

* * * * * * * * * *

Disclaimer: Please be advised that any media article titles or content that appear in the Royal News that identify members of royal families with their maiden names, nicknames, incorrect style or title, etc., come directly from the media source and not from Unofficial Royalty. We encourage you to contact the media sources to express your concern about their use of the incorrect name, style, title, etc. Contact information can usually be found at the bottom of each media source’s main page.

February 23: Today in Royal History

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke; Credit – Wikipedia

February 23, 1447 – Death of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, son of King Henry IV of England, at Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England; buried at the Abbey Church of St. Albans in Hertfordshire, England
Humphrey received an excellent education and it is thought he was educated at Balliol College, Oxford. He had a great love of learning, was a collector of books and manuscripts and commissioned translations of classical works from Greek into Latin. When Humphrey died, he donated his collection of 281 manuscripts to the University of Oxford. The university built Duke Humfrey’s Library as a second story to the Divinity School to house his collection in 1450-80. Duke Humfrey’s Library still exists and it is the oldest reading room in the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford. During the early reign of his nephew King Henry VI,  Humphrey had become the heir presumptive to the throne after the death of his older brother John, Duke of Bedford and it was feared that if Henry VI left England, Humphrey could exercise his claim to be regent. Humphrey was hostile to the French while the English powers that be wanted peace. Humphrey was arrested and it appeared there would be a trial that would result in Humphrey’s disgrace or even a worse fate. However, there was no trial as five days later, Humphrey died. There is some suspicion that some kind of foul play was involved, but most likely Humphrey had a stroke because he was in a coma for three days before he died.
Unofficial Royalty: Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester

February 23, 1648 – Birth of Arabella Churchill, mistress of King James II of England, probably born at Ash, the family home of Arabella’s mother in Musbury, Devonshire, England
Arabella was the sister of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough who gained fame as a military leader and courtier during the reign of Queen Anne. His wife Sarah was Queen Anne’s Mistress of the Robes and confidante. Fifteen-year-old Arabella was sent to court to be a Maid of Honor to the Duchess of York. The Duchess of York, born Anne Hyde, was the wife of King Charles II’s brother James, Duke of York, the future King James II. Arabella captured James’ eye and became his mistress. Arabella and James had four children who were given the surname FitzJames, “son of James”. From their children, Arabella and James are the ancestors of the Earls Spencer and Diana, Princess of Wales as well as of the Dukes of Berwick, the later Dukes of Alba and Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba.
Unofficial Royalty: Arabella Churchill,  mistress of King James II of England

February 23, 1716 – Death of Countess Marianne von Thun-Hohenstein, the second of the four wives of Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein
On February 3, 1716, seventeen-year-old Marianne married the widowed Prince Josef Johann Adam. The marriage did not even last a month. Three weeks after the marriage, on February 23, 1716, Marianne died in Vienna and was buried in the Old Crypt at the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic.
Unofficial Royalty: The Four Wives of Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein

February 23, 1769 – Birth of Pauline of Anhalt-Bernburg, Princess of Lippe, Regent of Lippe, wife of Leopold I, Prince of Lippe, in Ballenstedt, Principality of Anhalt-Bernburg, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Full name: Pauline Christine Wilhelmine
Pauline’s husband Leopold I, Prince of Lippe had mental disorders and he was deemed incapacitated for some time. Because of Leopold’s tenuous mental condition, Pauline became his governmental adviser and colleague, staying mostly in the background and avoiding anything that could be interpreted as exceeding her duties. Pauline was not only Princess Consort of Lippe, she ably served as Regent of the Principality of Lippe for eighteen years during the minority of her son Leopold II, Prince of Lippe who succeeded his father when he was five years old. The social work that she started in Detmold, then in the Principality of Lippe, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, continues today with the charity she founded, the Princess Pauline Foundation. Pauline is considered one of the most important rulers of Lippe.
Unofficial Royalty: Pauline of Anhalt-Bernburg, Princess of Lippe, Regent of Lippe

February 23, 1779 – Birth of Prince Octavius of Great Britain, son of King George III of the United Kingdom, at the Queen’s House, now Buckingham Palace, in London, England
Smallpox was a leading cause of death in the 18th century. By having their children inoculated against smallpox, King George III and Queen Charlotte were trying to protect them and starting down the long road that would eventually lead to the eradication of this terrible disease.  Before Edward Jenner developed the smallpox vaccine that contained the cowpox virus, variolation, first seen in China in the fifteenth century, was another way to protect against smallpox. Live smallpox virus in the liquid taken from a smallpox blister in a mild case of the disease was put into a cut of a healthy person who developed a very mild case of smallpox.  About 3% of those inoculated developed a severe case of smallpox and died but that was preferable to catching smallpox with its mortality rate of 20–40% and scarred survivors. Sadly, four-year-old Octavius was one of those who died after inoculation.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Octavius of Great Britain
Unofficial Royalty: Smallpox knew no class boundaries

February 23, 1800 – Birth of Adelheid of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, first wife of Grand Duke August I of Oldenburg, at Schaumburg Castle in the Principality of  Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, now in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
In 1817, Adelheid married the then-Duke August of Oldenburg. The couple had two daughters including Amalia who married Prince Otto of Bavaria, later King of Greece. Adelheid died suddenly at the age of 20. Five years after her death, her husband married her youngest sister Ida.
Unofficial Royalty: Adelheid of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, Duchess of Oldenburg

February 23, 1803 – Birth of Alexandrine of Prussia, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, daughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and wife of Grand Duke Paul Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: Friederike Wilhelmine Alexandrine Marie Helene
In 1822, Alexandrine married the future Grand Duke Paul Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and although the marriage was not a happy one, they had three children. Her husband became Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1837, died five years later, and was succeeded by the couple’s son Friedrich Franz II. At the time of her death in 1892, Alexandrine had been widowed for fifty years, lived through the reign of her son, and saw her grandson succeed to the Grand Ducal throne of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Unofficial Royalty: Alexandrine of Prussia, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

February 23, 1883 – Birth of Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe in Stadthagen, Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe, now in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany
Upon his father’s death in 1911, Adolf became the reigning Prince of Schaumberg-Lippe. After the defeat of the German Empire in World War I, Adolf II was forced to abdicate on November 15, 1918, and the Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe became the Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe. Adolf was exiled from the Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe and lived in the Brionian Islands, then Italy, now in Croatia. In 1920, Adolf married actress Elisabeth Franziska (Ellen) von Bischoff-Korthaus. The marriage was childless. On March 26, 1936, Adolf and his wife were killed in an airplane crash in Zumpango, Mexico, along with eight other passengers and four crew members.
Unofficial Royalty: Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe

February 23, 1918 – Death of Adolf Friedrich VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz at Neustrelitz, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany; buried on Love Island, a small island off Castle Island in Mirow, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Adolf Friedrich developed a strong love for the United Kingdom, likely influenced by his grandmother, who was born Princess Augusta of Cambridge, a granddaughter of King George III of the United Kingdom.  He took every opportunity to visit the United Kingdom and often represented his father and grandfather at official functions, such as the funerals of Queen Victoria and King Edward VII, and the coronations of King Edward VII and King George V. Adolf Friedrich left his home on the evening of February 23, 1918, to take his dog for a walk. The following morning, his body was found in a nearby canal with a gunshot wound to his head. He left behind a suicide note which suggested that a woman was attempting to smear his name. However, his close friend, Princess Daisy of Pless suggested that he had developed severe depression over the war and the loss of his beloved grandmother.
Unofficial Royalty: Adolf Friedrich VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

February 23, 1960 – Death of Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke, grandson of Queen Victoria, at Kensington Palace in London, England; cremated and ashes buried at St. Mildred’s Church, Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England
Alexander was the son of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg.  When World War I started in August of 1914, Alexander’s regiment was under deployment orders, as was the 60th Rifles, the regiment of his brothers Leopold and Maurice. A little more than two months after the war started, Maurice was killed in action. During World War I, his surname was changed to Mountbatten and he was created 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke. In 1917, he married Lady Irene Denison, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Londesbrough and they had one daughter. After World War I, Alexander began a business career and started work as a clerk in the offices of the bank Lazard Brothers. Alexander also worked for the Metropolitan Housing Corporation which controlled many housing estates for artisans, and Alexander eventually took full charge of the social work connected with the estates. Later he became a director of Lever Brothers and several other companies. Alexander died from a cerebral hemorrhage at Kensington Palace in London, England on February 23, 1960, at the age of 73.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexander Mountbatten, Marquess of Carisbrooke

February 23, 1960 – Birth of Emperor Naruhito of Japan at the Imperial Household Agency Hospital at the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan
Naruhito, the current Emperor of Japan, is the elder of the two sons and the eldest of the three children of former Emperor Akihito and Michiko Shōda. In 1993, he married Masako Owada and the couple had one daughter. On May 1, 2019, Naruhito ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne as Emperor of Japan upon the abdication of his father Emperor Akihito. There is male-line, male-only succession in Japan which means that Emperor Naruhito’s daughter cannot inherit the throne nor can any of her potential sons inherit the throne. There has been discussion about changing the succession but no action has been taken. Currently, there are only three people in the line of succession: Crown Prince Akishino (born in 1965, brother of Emperor Naruhito), Prince Hisahito, (born in 2005, son of Crown Prince Akishino), and Prince Hitachi (born in 1935, uncle of Emperor Naruhito). Probably, there will not be another person in the line of succession until Prince Hisahito marries and has a son.
Unofficial Royalty: Emperor Naruhito of Japan
Unofficial Royalty: Japanese Succession Crisis

February 23, 1969 – Death of King Saud of Saudi Arabia in exile at Athens, Greece; buried at the Alaoud Cemetery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
In 1953, upon the death of his father Abdulaziz ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Saud, also known as Ibn Saud, the founder and the first king of Saudi Arabia, Saud became the second King of Saudi Arabia. Saud had a long-standing power struggle with his half-brother Faisal who deposed Saud in 1964. Saud was forced into exile but lived quite comfortably with a retinue of forty people. He first settled in Geneva, Switzerland, then lived in palaces in Paris, France, and on the French Riviera. Saud then settled in Egypt in a magnificent palace in Heliopolis, and then in Greece at a large estate in Athens. On February 23, 1969, former King Saud died in Athens at the age of 67 after suffering a heart attack in his sleep.
Unofficial Royalty: King Saud of Saudi Arabia

February 23, 2012 – Birth of Princess Estelle of Sweden, daughter of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, at the Karolinska University Hospital in Solna, Sweden
Full name: Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary
Princess Estelle is second in the line of succession to the Swedish throne as the eldest child of Crown Princess Victoria who is the eldest child and the heir of King Carl XVI Gustaf.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Estelle of Sweden

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.

February 22: Today in Royal History

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

David II, King of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

February 22, 1371 – Death of David II, King of Scots at Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland; buried at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, now in ruins
The second and last monarch of the House of Bruce, David II, King of Scots is one of the longest-reigning monarchs of Scotland, having reigned for 41 years, 260 days. He was the only surviving son of Robert I, King of Scots (also known as Robert the Bruce) and his second wife Elizabeth de Brugh. In 1328, four-year-old David married seven-year-old Joan of the Tower, the youngest daughter of King Edward II of England and Isabella of France. David’s mother had died in 1327 and upon the death of his father on June 7, 1329, five-year-old David succeeded to the Scottish throne. Joan died in 1362, at the age of 41, without giving her husband an heir. David married his mistress Margaret Drummond in 1364. He divorced her in 1370 on the grounds of infertility. However, Margaret successfully petitioned Pope Urban V to reverse the divorce because it seemed likely that David was infertile as his 34-year marriage to his first wife produced no issue. In the later years of his reign, David continued to pursue peace with England and worked to make Scotland a stronger kingdom with a more prosperous economy. David, aged 46, died unexpectedly in 1371. As both his marriages were childless, David was succeeded by his nephew, the son of his half-sister Marjorie, who became Robert II, King of Scots, the first monarch of the House of Stewart.
Unofficial Royalty: David II, King of Scots

February 22, 1921 – Death of Ernst Gunther, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein at Castle Primkenau in Primkenau, Germany, now in Przemków, Poland; buried in the Ducal Graveyard at Castle Primkenau
In 1864, following the Second Schleswig War, the Duchy of Holstein and the Duchy of Schleswig became occupied territories of the German Confederation and two years later, following the Austro-Prussian War, part of the new Prussian Province of Schleswig-Holstein. Just as with his father, Prussia recognized Ernst Gunter as the mediatized duke of these two duchies, with the rank and all the titles. (mediatize – to annex to another state, while allowing certain rights to its former sovereign) In 1898, Ernst Günther married Princess Dorothea of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the daughter of Prince Philipp of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Louise of Belgium. They had no children. However, in 1920, they adopted Princess Marie Luise and Prince Johann Georg of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, the children of Prince Albrecht of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and his first wife, Countess Ortrud of Ysenburg and Büdingen. Ernst Günther, aged 58, died in 1921. As he had no legal heir, his titles were inherited by his cousin, Prince Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, son of Princess Helena of the United Kingdom and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, and a grandson of Queen Victoria.
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst Gunther, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein

February 22, 1933 – Birth of Katharine, Duchess of Kent, wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, born Katharine Worsley at Hovingham Hall in Yorkshire, England
Full name: Katharine Lucy Mary
In 1956, Katharine met her future husband, Prince Edward, The Duke of Kent, while he was stationed with the British Army at Catterick Garrison, near Richmond, England. They were married in 1961 and had two sons and one daughter. The Duchess of Kent was known for handing out the trophies for the women’s singles final at the annual Wimbledon Championships from the 1970s to 2001. In 1994, Katharine converted to Catholicism, the first senior member of the royal family to convert publicly since the enactment of the Act of Settlement in 1701. In the years following, one of her children and several of her grandchildren have also become Catholic. In 2002, Katharine chose to reduce her public role and asked to be known as Katherine, Duchess of Kent (a style typically used for one widowed or divorced). However, formally she remains HRH The Duchess of Kent. She began teaching music at Wansbeck Primary School in Kingston upon Hull and also purchased an apartment in Notting Hill, London which she used to teach music lessons. The Duchess has not been seen in public recently. She did not attend the 2021 funeral of Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, the 2022 funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, or the 1923 coronation of King Charles III although her husband did attend all three.
Unofficial Royalty: Katharine, Duchess of Kent

February 22, 1968 – Birth of Princess Delphine of Belgium, formerly known as Delphine Boël, the illegitimate daughter of King Albert II of Belgium and his longtime mistress Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, born in Uccle, Brussels, Belgium
In June 2013, Delphine filed a lawsuit to prove, through DNA testing, that she was King Albert II’s biological child. After a long legal process, in January 2020, the former King Albert II finally acknowledged that he was Delphine’s biological father, as proven by DNA testing. On October 1, 2020, the Belgian Court of Appeal ruled that Delphine and her children are entitled to the style and title of HRH Prince/Princess of Belgium, and can use the former King’s surname of Saxe-Coburg. In addition, she is legally entitled to inherit one-quarter of the former King’s estate – a share equal to that of his three legitimate children. She is still considered illegitimate (born out of wedlock) and as such, Delphine and her descendants are not in the line of succession to the Belgian throne.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Delphine of Belgium

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.

Royal News Recap for Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Please join us on our Facebook group at Facebook: Unofficial Royalty

* * * * * * * * * *

Royal News Recaps are published Mondays-Fridays and on Sundays, except for Thanksgiving in the United States, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. The Royal News Recap for Sundays will be a weekend recap. If there is any breaking or major news, we will add an update as necessary.

* * * * * * * * * *

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.

* * * * * * * * * *

Netherlands

Saudi Arabia

Sweden

United Kingdom

* * * * * * * * * *

Disclaimer:Please be advised that any media article titles or content that appear in the Royal News which identify members of royal families with their maiden names, nicknames, incorrect style or title, etc., come directly from the media source and not from Unofficial Royalty. We encourage you to contact the media sources to express your concern about their use of the incorrect name, style, title, etc. Contact information can usually be found at the bottom of each media source’s main page.

Royal News Recap for Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Please join us on our Facebook group at Facebook: Unofficial Royalty

* * * * * * * * * *

Royal News Recaps are published Mondays-Fridays and on Sundays, except for Thanksgiving in the United States, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. The Royal News Recap for Sundays will be a weekend recap. If there is any breaking or major news, we will add an update as necessary.

* * * * * * * * * *

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.

* * * * * * * * * *

Belgium

Jordan

Netherlands

Spain

Sweden

United Kingdom

* * * * * * * * * *

Disclaimer: Please be advised that any media article titles or content that appear in the Royal News that identify members of royal families with their maiden names, nicknames, incorrect style or title, etc., come directly from the media source and not from Unofficial Royalty. We encourage you to contact the media sources to express your concern about their use of the incorrect name, style, title, etc. Contact information can usually be found at the bottom of each media source’s main page.

February 21: Today in Royal History

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Peter III, Emperor of All Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

February 21, 1728 – Birth of Peter III, Emperor of All Russia in Kiel, Duchy of Holstein-Gottorp, now in Schleswig-Holstein,  Germany
Born: Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp, grandson of Peter the Great via his eldest daughter Anna Petrovna
Peter III, Emperor of All Russia was born Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp. His father was Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. His mother was Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia, daughter of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia. Peter III’s life dramatically changed when his unmarried maternal aunt, his mother’s younger sister, Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia, declared him her heir and brought him to St. Petersburg, Russia. He married his second cousin, Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst (later Catherine II the Great). Peter succeeded his aunt in 1762. A conspiracy to overthrow Peter was planned and centered around the five Orlov brothers with Grigory, Catherine’s favorite, and Alexei being the main conspirators. Peter III, Emperor of All Russia died at the age of 34 on July 17, 1762, at Ropsha Palace, a country estate outside of St. Petersburg, Russia. He was probably murdered but the circumstances of his death remain unclear. His wife became the Empress of All Russia and is known as Catherine the Great.
Unofficial Royalty: Peter III, Emperor of All Russia

February 21, 1937 – Birth of King Harald V of Norway at Skaugum, the residence of the Crown Prince Residence in Asker, Norway
King Harald V is the only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. His paternal grandparents were King Haakon VII of Norway (born Prince Carl of Denmark, son of King Frederik VIII of Denmark) and Queen Maud (born Princess Maud of Wales, daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom). King Harald is closely related to several European monarchs: King Philippe of Belgium and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg are his first cousins once removed, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is his second cousin, and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and King Charles III of the United Kingdom are his second cousin once removed. In 1968, Harald married Sonja Haraldsen and the couple has two children.  Harald succeeded to the throne in 1991 upon the death of his father.
Unofficial Royalty: King Harald V of Norway

February 21, 1960 – Death of Edwina Ashley, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, wife of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, in Jesselton, British North Borneo (now Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia), as per her wishes, she buried at sea off the coast of Portsmouth, England
As the wife of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Edwina was a member of the extended British Royal Family. Her grandfather was Sir Ernest Cassel, a successful financier and capitalist who had become one of the richest men in Europe. He had been a close friend and advisor of King Edward VII who had bestowed several honors on him during his reign. Upon his death, Sir Ernest left an estate valued at over £6 million (approx. £240 million today), a large portion of which went to Edwina. Edwina and her husband had two daughters, Lady Patricia Mountbatten and Lady Pamela Mountbatten who were first cousins of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Unofficial Royalty: Edwina Ashley, Countess Mountbatten of Burma

February 21, 1980 – Birth of Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Dragon King of Bhutan, at Dechencholing Palace in Thimphu, Bhutan
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is the current Dragon King of Bhutan. After beginning his education in Bhutan, Jigme Khesar attended boarding school in Massachusetts, first at the Phillips Academy and then graduating from the Cushing Academy. He attended Wheaton College, also in Massachusetts, before enrolling in the Foreign Services Program and earning his Master’s Degree in Politics at Magdalen College, Oxford in the United Kingdom. In 2006, his father King Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicated and Jigme Khesar became the 5th Dragon King (Druk Gyalpo) of the Kingdom of Bhutan. At the time, he was the world’s youngest monarch, at just 24 years old. In 2011, King Jigme Khesan married Jetsun Pema in a traditional Buddhist ceremony. As part of the ceremony, he also crowned her as Queen of Bhutan. The couple has two sons and one daughter.
Unofficial Royalty: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan

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.

Royal News Recap for Monday, February 19, 2024

Please join us on our Facebook group at Facebook: Unofficial Royalty

* * * * * * * * * *

Royal News Recaps are published Mondays-Fridays and on Sundays, except for Thanksgiving in the United States, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. The Royal News Recap for Sundays will be a weekend recap. If there is any breaking or major news, we will add an update as necessary.

* * * * * * * * * *

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.

* * * * * * * * * *

Belgium

Denmark

Jordan

Netherlands

Spain

United Kingdom

* * * * * * * * * *

Disclaimer:Please be advised that any media article titles or content that appear in the Royal News which identify members of royal families with their maiden names, nicknames, incorrect style or title, etc., come directly from the media source and not from Unofficial Royalty. We encourage you to contact the media sources to express your concern about their use of the incorrect name, style, title, etc. Contact information can usually be found at the bottom of each media source’s main page.

Kamāmalu, Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Islands

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

The Hawaiian Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean, were originally divided into several independent chiefdoms. The Kingdom of Hawaii was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great of the independent island of Hawaii, conquered the independent islands of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, and Lanai, and unified them under one government and ruled as Kamehameha I, King of the Hawaiian Islands. In 1810, the whole Hawaiian archipelago became unified when Kauai and Niihau voluntarily joined the Kingdom of Hawaii. Two major dynastic families ruled the kingdom: the House of Kamehameha and the House of Kalākaua.

In 1778, British explorer James Cook visited the islands. This led to increased trade and the introduction of new technologies and ideas. In the mid-19th century, American influence in Hawaii dramatically increased when American merchants, missionaries, and settlers arrived on the islands. Protestant missionaries converted most of the native people to Christianity. Merchants set up sugar plantations and the United States Navy established a base at Pearl Harbor. The newcomers brought diseases that were new to the indigenous people including influenza, measles, smallpox, syphilis, tuberculosis, and whooping cough. At the time of James Cook’s arrival in 1778, the indigenous Hawaiian population is estimated to have been between 250,000 and 800,000. By 1890, the indigenous Hawaiian population declined had to less than 40,000.

In 1893, a group of local businessmen and politicians composed of six non-native Hawaiian Kingdom subjects, five American nationals, one British national, and one German national overthrew Queen Liliʻuokalani, her cabinet, and her marshal, and took over the government of the Kingdom of Hawaii. This led to the 1898 annexation of Hawaii as a United States territory. On August 21, 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States.

In 1993, one hundred years after the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown, the United States Congress passed and President Bill Clinton signed the Apology Resolution which “acknowledges that the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii occurred with the active participation of agents and citizens of the United States and further acknowledges that the Native Hawaiian people never directly relinquished to the United States their claims to their inherent sovereignty as a people over their national lands, either through the Kingdom of Hawaii or through a plebiscite or referendum”. As a result, the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, a grassroots political and cultural campaign to reestablish an autonomous or independent nation or kingdom in Hawaii, was established along with ongoing efforts to redress the indigenous Hawaiian population.

********************

Kamāmalu, Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Islands; Credit – Wikipedia

Kamāmalu was the favorite of the five wives of Kamehameha II, King of the Hawaiian Islands, and was Queen Consort from 1819 – 1824, until her death and the death of her husband from measles. Born circa 1802 in Kawaihae, Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands, she was the eldest daughter of Kamehameha I, King of the Hawaiian Islands and one of his wives, Queen Kalākua Kaheiheimālie. King Kamehameha I had many wives and many children. The exact number is debated because documents that recorded the names of his wives were destroyed. While he had many wives and children, only his children from his highest-ranking wife Queen Keōpūolani succeeded him to the throne.

Kamāmalu had one half-sister from her mother’s first marriage to Prince Kalaʻimamahu, Chief Priest of ʻIo and Kāne, and a half-brother of King Kamehameha I:

Kekāuluohi (1794 – 1845), married (1) King Kamehameha I, no children (2) King Kamehameha II, no children (3) Charles Kanaʻina, had two sons, only one survived childhood, William Charles Lunalilo who reigned as King Lunalilo of the Hawaiian Islands from his election on January 8, 1873, until his death a year later

Kamāmalu had three full siblings from her mother’s second marriage to King Kamehameha I:

  • Prince Liholiho-i-Kaiwi-o-Kamehameha (born 1795), died in infancy
  • Prince Kamehameha Kapauaiwa (born circa 1801), died in infancy
  • Princess Kīnaʻu (born circa 1805 – 1839), also known as Elizabeth Kīnaʻu, married (1) her half-brother King Kamehameha II, no children (2) Kahalaiʻa Luanuʻu, a grandson of King Kamehameha I, no children (3) Mataio Kekūanaōʻa, governor of the island of Oʻahu, had four sons and one daughter including King Kamehameha IV and King Kamehameha V

Kamehameha II, King of the Hawaiian Islands; Credit – Wikipedia

Kamāmalu was one of the five wives of King Kamehameha II, the last Hawaiian king to practice polygamy. She was betrothed to her half-brother Kamehameha II from birth and they were married when she was twelve and he was about seventeen. Kamehameha II had no children with any of his five wives:

  • Kamāmalu (circa 1802 – 1824), Kamehameha II’s favorite wife, his half-sister
  • Kīnaʻu (circa 1805 – 1839), Kamehameha II’s half-sister
  • Kekāuluohi (1794 – 1845), Kamehameha II’s cousin
  • Pauahi (circa 1804–1826), often referred to as often referred to as Kalanipauahi, Kamehameha II’s niece
  • Kekauʻōnohi (circa 1805 – 1851), Kamehameha II’s niece

On May 14, 1819, Kamehameha I, King of the Hawaiian Islands died and his 22-year-old son Kamehameha II became King of the Hawaiian Islands and Kamāmalu became Queen Consort.

On April 16, 1822, English missionary William Ellis arrived in the Hawaiian Islands with a gift from King George IV of Great Britain, the Prince Regent, a schooner with six guns, to add to the Kingdom of Hawaiian Island’s fleet of ships. Kamehameha II wanted to travel to Great Britain to thank King George IV and to encourage closer diplomatic ties between their two kingdoms. All Kamehameha II’s advisors, including his mother Keōpūolani and his co-regent Kaʻahumanu, were opposed to the trip. After the death of his mother on September 16, 1823, Kamehameha II was determined to travel to Great Britain.

King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu in the Royal Box at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane; Credit – Wikipedia

King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu arrived in Great Britain on May 17, 1824. Kamāmalu attracted much attention for her clothing – many society women asked their hatmakers to make turbans like the ones Kamāmalu wore – and because she was strikingly beautiful and six and a half feet tall. Kamehameha II and Kamāmalu toured London, visiting Westminster Abbey but Kamehameha II refused to enter because he did not want to desecrate the British royal burial place “with his presence or his feet stepping in that area.” The royal couple attended the opera and ballet at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, and a play at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, London.

King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu were scheduled to meet King George IV on June 21, 1824, but the meeting had to be canceled because Kamāmalu became ill. Members of the Hawaiian entourage had caught measles and they had no natural immunity because the people of the Hawaiian Islands had lived in isolation until their contact with Europeans. The Hawaiian entourage was likely exposed to measles on their June 5 visit to the Royal Military Asylum, an orphanage for the children of military parents that was known for its epidemics of childhood diseases. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, epidemics of measles, smallpox, and other diseases threatened to wipe out the entire Native Hawaiian population and disrupted the culture and lives of the islands’ residents.

Twenty-one-year-old Queen Kamāmalu died on July 8, 1824. Her grief-stricken husband King Kamehameha II died six days later on July 14, 1824, at the age of twenty-six. King Kamehameha II lay in state at the Caledonian Hotel in London on July 17, 1824, and large crowds paid their respects. On the following day, the coffins of King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu were placed in the crypt of St Martin-in-the-Fields Church in London, awaiting the voyage back to the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands.

HMS Blonde, the British ship that transported the coffins of King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu back to Hawaii; Credit – Wikipedia

In August 1824, the coffins of King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu left Great Britain on the Royal Navy frigate HMS Blonde under the command of Captain George Anson Byron, 7th Baron Byron. The HMS Blonde arrived in the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands on May 6, 1825.

King Kamehameha II’s brother-in-law William Pitt Kalanimoku, a High Chief who functioned similarly to a prime minister, had been notified of the deaths, and so Hawaiian royalty and nobility gathered at his house where the bodies were moved for the funeral. On May 11, 1825, a state funeral was held for the late King and Queen, the first Christian memorial service for a ruler of Hawaii. The crew from the HMS Blonde participated in the formal procession from the ship to the funeral site, the chaplain of the HMS Blonde said an Anglican prayer, and an American missionary said a prayer in the Hawaiian language.

In the background, the Royal Mausoleum, Mauna ʻAla, now a chapel; Credit – Wikipedia

A Western-style mausoleum was constructed for King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu near the ʻIolani Palace in Honolulu. The mausoleum was a small house made of coral blocks with a thatched roof. King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu were interred there on August 23, 1825. Over time, as more coffins were added, the small vault became crowded. In 1863, construction began on Mauna ʻAla (Fragrant Hills), the Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii in Honolulu. On October 30, 1865, the remains of past deceased royals, including King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu, were transferred in a torchlit ceremony at night to the new mausoleum. On November 9, 1887, after the Royal Mausoleum became too crowded, the caskets of the members of the House of Kamehameha were moved to the newly built Kamehameha Tomb, an underground vault, under the Kamehameha Dynasty Tomb. Two additional underground vaults were built over the years. In 1922, the Royal Mausoleum, Mauna ʻAla was converted to a chapel after the last royal remains were moved to tombs constructed on the grounds.

Kamehameha Dynasty Tomb – Royal Mausoleum, Honolulu, Hawai; Credit – By Daderot. – Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1101293

Inscriptions of Queen Consorts of Hawaii on the Kamehameha Dynasty Tomb; Credit – www.findagrave.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

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2024). Kamehameha II, King of the Hawaiian Islands. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/kamehameha-ii-king-of-the-hawaiian-islands/
  • U.S. Department of the Interior. Liholiho (Kamehameha II). National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/puhe/learn/historyculture/kamehameha2.htm
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Kalākua Kaheiheimālie. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kal%C4%81kua_Kaheiheim%C4%81lie
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Kamāmalu. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kam%C4%81malu
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2024). Kamehameha II. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamehameha_II
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Royal Mausoleum (Mauna ʻAla). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Mausoleum_(Mauna_%CA%BBAla)
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Hawaiian Kingdom. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_Kingdom