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Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany; Credit – Wikipedia

May 5, 1316 – Death of Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, Countess of Holland, Countess of Hereford, daughter of King Edward I of England, in Quendon, Essex, England; buried at Waltham Abbey in Essex, England
Elizabeth died in childbirth, giving birth to her tenth child, who died shortly after birth.
Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, Countess of Holland, Countess of Hereford

May 5, 1572 – Death of Lady Margaret Erskine, mistress of James V, King of Scots
James V, King of Scots had several mistresses. Lady Margaret Erskine was his favorite and the mother of the most important of his nine illegitimate children, James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray. James was an advisor to his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, and served as Regent of Scotland for his nephew, the infant King James VI, from 1567 until his assassination in 1570.
Unofficial Royalty: Lady Margaret Erskine, mistress of James V, King of Scots

May 5, 1582 – Death of Charlotte de Bourbon-Monpensier, Princess of Orange, third wife of Willem I, Prince of Orange (the Silent) in Antwerp (now in Belgium); buried at the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp, but her tomb has not survived
Charlotte and Willem I, Prince of Orange had six daughters. After an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Willem on March 18, 1582, Charlotte took great care of her wounded husband. Exhausted from caring for Willem, she fell ill with pneumonia and a high fever and died.
Unofficial Royalty: Saxony, Charlotte de Bourbon-Monpensier, Princess of Orange

May 5, 1705 – Death of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, in Vienna, then in the Archduchy of Austria, now in Austria; buried in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna 
A contemporary and first cousin of King Louis XIV of France, Leopold was not expected to be the heir of his father’s heir, but his elder brother died from smallpox at the age of twenty-one. When his father died in 1657, seventeen-year-old Leopold succeeded to his father’s Habsburg hereditary lands but was not elected as Holy Roman Emperor until July 18, 1658. Leopold’s reign was dominated by the defense against French expansion under his first cousin, King Louis XIV of France.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor

May 5, 1724 – Birth of Bernardina Christina of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, wife of Johann Friedrich, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, in Weimar, then in the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, now in the German state of Thuringia
In 1744, in Eisenach, 20-year-old Bernardina Christina married 23-year-old Johann Friedrich, who had become the reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt just two months earlier. Bernadina Christina and Johann Friedrich had six children, but only two daughters survived childhood. Bernadina Christina was active in charitable causes. In 1756, she founded the Bernardina Abbey for noblewomen in Rudolstadt. However, she did not live to see the inauguration of the abbey in 1757. On June 5, 1757, aged 33, Bernadina Christina died in Rudolstadt, then in the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia.
Unofficial Royalty: Bernardina Christina of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

May 5, 1747 – Birth of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, and Grand Duke of Tuscany, in Vienna, Austria
Full name: Peter Leopold Joseph Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard
Leopold was the ninth of the sixteen children and the third but the second surviving of the five sons of Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia in her own right. When Leopold’s father became Grand Duke of Tuscany, it was decided that the second son would inherit that title and territory. However, Karl Joseph, the second son, died from smallpox at the age of fifteen, and Leopold, the third son, became the second surviving son and the heir to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. In 1764, Leopold married Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain, daughter of Carlos III, King of Spain. The couple had sixteen children. Just days after, Leopold’s wedding, his father suddenly died, and Leopold became Grand Duke of Tuscany. Leopold was elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1790 after his childless brother Joseph died. At that time, he abdicated the throne of Tuscany in favor of his second son Ferdinand. After only seventeen months as Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold II died suddenly and unexpectedly on March 1, 1792, aged 44, in Vienna, Austria.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany

May 5, 1821 – Death of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, on the island of St. Helena, originally buried on St. Helena, re-interred at St Jerome’s Chapel in Paris in 1840, and finally at Les Invalides in Paris in 1861
Napoleon died at his second place of exile, the island of Saint Helena, a British possession, in the Atlantic Ocean, and was buried in a nameless tomb in the Valley of the Willows on St. Helena. In 1840, Louis Philippe I, King of the French, received permission from the British to return Napoléon’s remains to France.  He was interred at St. Jerome’s Chapel, where his remains stayed until the tomb designed by Louis Visconti was completed. On April 2, 1861, Naploéon’s coffin was transferred to a huge tomb made of red quartzite on a green granite base under the dome of Les Invalides in Paris, France.
Unofficial Royalty: Napoleon I, Emperor of the French

May 5, 1826 – Birth of Eugénie de Montijo, Empress of the French, wife of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, in Granada, Spain
Full name: María Eugenia Ignatia Augustina Palafox de Guzmán Portocarrero y Kirkpatrick
In 1849, Eugénie first met her future husband, Prince Louis Napoléon, the nephew of Emperor Napoleon I and the grandson of Empress Joséphine, the first wife of Napoleon I. At the time, he was president of the French Second Republic. His attempts to seduce her failed, as she insisted on marriage before any physical relationship. Louis Napoleon became Emperor Napoleon III in December 1852. The following month, on January 22, 1853, he announced his engagement to Eugénie, and the couple married a week later. The couple had one son, Louis Napoléon, Prince Imperial, who died fighting in the Zulu War in South Africa in 1879.
Unofficial Royalty: Eugénie de Montijo, Empress of the French

May 5, 1827 – Death of Friedrich August I, King of Saxony in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany; buried at the Dresden Cathedral
Friedrich August I was the first King of Saxony, reigning from 1806 to 1827. His family had been rulers of the Electorate of Saxony of the House of Wettin and held the title of Elector for several centuries. In 1769, Friedrich August married Amalie of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, and they had one daughter. As he had no male heirs, Friedrich August was succeeded by his younger brother Anton.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Augustus I, King of Saxony

May 5, 2012 – Death of Count Carl Johan Bernadotte of Wisborg, son of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and Princess Margaret of Connaught, in Ängelholm, Sweden; buried in the Royal Cemetery in Haga Park, Solna, Sweden.
The youngest surviving child of King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden and Margaret of Connaught, Carl Johan was the last of Queen Victoria’s great-grandchildren. Carl Johan was the uncle of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.
Unofficial Royalty: Count Carl Johan Bernadotte of Wisborg

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King George Tupou V of Tonga; Credit – Wikipedia

May 4, 1471 – Death of Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, the only child of King Henry VI of England, at the Battle of Tewkesbury; buried at Tewkesbury Abbey in Gloucester, England
The final decisive Yorkist victory in the Wars of the Roses was at the Battle of Tewkesbury, where Margaret of Anjou, wife of King Henry VI of England, led the Lancastrian forces, and her son Edward, Prince of Wales was killed.  The only Prince of Wales to be killed in battle, he was buried at Tewkesbury Abbey, where a plaque on the floor in the center of the sanctuary marks his grave.  The plaque has an inscription in Latin, translated into English says: “Here lies Edward, Prince of Wales, cruelly slain whilst but a youth. Anno Domini 1471, May 4th. Alas, the savagery of men. Thou art the sole light of thy Mother, and the last hope of thy race.”
Unofficial Royalty: Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales

May 4, 1661 – Birth of Countess Eleonore Barbara Catharina von Thun-Hohenstein, wife of Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein, in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic
Eleonore Barbara married Anton Florian, the future sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein, and the couple had eleven children. Anton Florian became Prince of Liechtenstein in 1718, but he died after a reign of only three years. Eleonore Barbara survived him by less than two years, dying at the age of 62 on February 10, 1723, in Vienna, Austria. She was buried in a crypt under the Pauline Church in Vienna, Austria. The crypt no longer exists, and the tombs were not preserved.
Unofficial Royalty: Eleonore Barbara Catharina von Thun-Hohenstein, Princess of Liechtenstein

May 4, 1679 – Birth of Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg, mistress and bigamous wife of Frederik IV, King of Denmark and Norway, probably at her father’s estate in Wattmannshagen, now in Lalendorf in the German state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania
In 1703, without divorcing his wife Queen Louise, Frederik IV made a bigamous marriage to Elisabeth. On the same day, Elisabeth was created Countess of Antvorskov and was given Antvorskov Castle. She gave birth to a son, Frederik Gyldenløve. Following the practice of his predecessors, Frederik IV gave his illegitimate children the surname Gyldenløve, which means Golden Love. However, Elisabeth developed complications after the birth and died on June 27, 1704, aged 25. She was greatly mourned by Frederik IV, who gave her a lavish funeral and commanded that the bells of three churches should ring for two hours.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg, mistress of Frederik IV, King of Denmark

May 4, 1728 – Death of Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia, Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp in Kiel, Duchy of Holstein-Gottorp, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein; buried at the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia
Anna Petrovna was one of three of the fourteen children of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia to survive childhood. In 1725, Anna Petrovna married Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. On February 21, 1728, at Kiel Castle in Kiel, then in the Duchy of Holstein-Gottorp, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, Anna gave birth to a son named Karl Peter Ulrich. Sadly, Anna died three months later, on May 4, 1728, at the age of 20. Anna’s son Karl Peter Ulrich succeeded her younger sister Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia as Peter III, Emperor of All Russia. However, the reign of Peter III lasted only six months. He was deposed by his wife, born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, who reigned as Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia, Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp

May 4, 1884 – Death of Maria Anna of Savoy, wife of Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria at Hradčany Palace in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic; buried at the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria
Maria Anna married Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria. The marriage was childless and probably never consummated, but the couple remained devoted to each other. Emperor Ferdinand suffered from several ailments, including epilepsy and hydrocephalus. He was considered incapable of ruling, although he kept a coherent diary. Ferdinand abdicated the throne in favor of his nephew Franz Joseph during the Revolutions of 1848. He lived the rest of his life at Hradčany Palace in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic, where he died in 1875. Maria Anna survived her husband by nine years and died at the age of 80 on May 4, 1884.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Anna of Savoy, Empress of Austria

May 4, 1913 – Birth of Princess Katherine of Greece, The Lady Katherine Brandram, daughter of King Constantine I of Greece, at the New Royal Palace in Athens, Greece
Katherine married Major Richard Brandram, an officer in the British Royal Artillery, and lived the rest of her life in England. King George VI of the United Kingdom issued a decree granting Katherine the “style, title, place and pre-eminence as the daughter of a Duke”, and she became styled as Lady Katherine Brandram.  She died in 2007 and was the last surviving great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Katherine of Greece, The Lady Katherine Brandram

May 4, 1948 – Birth of King George Tupou V of Tonga in Tongatapu, Tonga
King George Tupou V had a short reign from 2006 – 2012. His father had been an absolute monarch. George Tupou is known for introducing democracy to Tonga. During the period between his accession to the throne and his coronation, George Tupou and his advisors put together a framework for sweeping political reforms. Three days before the coronation ceremony, King George Tupou V announced he was ceding most of his executive powers to a democratically elected parliament. On March 18, 2012, King George Tupou V, aged 63, died and was succeeded by his brother, King Tupou VI.
Unofficial Royalty: King George Tupou V of Tonga

May 4, 1972 – Death of Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha at Callenberg Castle in Grein, Austria; buried at St. Zeno Church in Bad Reichenhall, Germany
Johann Leopold was the eldest of the five children of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a grandson of Queen Victoria. At the time of his birth, Johann Leopold was the heir to the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Although the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha ceased to exist at the end of World War I,  Johann Leopold had to give up his succession rights when he made a morganatic marriage in 1932. The Head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha then descended from his younger brother Friedrich Josias.
Unofficial Royalty: Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

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King Carl XV of Sweden/King Karl IV of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

May 3, 1152 – Death of Matilda of Boulogne, Queen of England, wife of King Stephen of England, at Hedingham Castle in Essex, England; buried at Faversham Abbey in Kent, England
When Stephen’s uncle King Henry I of England died, Stephen quickly crossed from Boulogne to England, seized power in England, and was crowned King of England. Empress Matilda, Henry I’s only surviving child, did not give up her claim to England and Normandy, leading to the long civil war known as The Anarchy between 1135 and 1153. During the civil war, Matilda of Boulogne was her husband’s strongest supporter. Matilda of Boulogne was as strong and resourceful as Stephen was weak and indecisive. Perhaps if she had not died in 1152 and her husband had not lost his strongest supporter, the result of the civil war would have turned out differently.
Unofficial Royalty: Matilda of Boulogne, Queen of England

May 3, 1257 – Death of Katherine of England, daughter of King Henry III of England at Windsor Castle; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
The description by 13th-century chronicler Matthew Paris that Katherine was “‘mute and useless though with a most beautiful face” has often been interpreted to mean that she had an intellectual disability or degenerative disease. However, it may indicate that Katherine had a stammer or some other speech impediment. There is much disagreement on what disease or disability Katherine may have had, or if she had one at all. Contemporary evidence suggests that the reaction of Katherine’s parents to her illnesses followed a similar reaction to the illnesses of her siblings and that Katherine was treated no differently than her siblings, suggesting that there were no serious or long-term health concerns. Katherine did have some illness during the spring of 1257, which resulted in her death on May 3, 1257, when she was three and a half years old. Her parents King Henry III and Queen Eleanor deeply mourned her death and were emotionally distraught.
Unofficial Royalty: Katherine of England

May 3, 1415 – Birth of Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, mother of King Edward IV and King Richard III of England, at Raby Castle in Durham, England
A great-granddaughter of King Edward III of England, Cecily Neville was the wife of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, also a great-grandchild of King Edward III, who was a claimant to the English throne and the leader of the Yorkist faction during the Wars of the Roses. She was also the mother of King Edward IV of England and King Richard III of England, the grandmother of the ill-fated King Edward V of England, and the great-grandmother of King Henry VIII of England. Cecily outlived all but two of her twelve children. She was alive when her granddaughter Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV, married Henry Tudor, who had defeated her son King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 and then succeeded to the English throne by right of conquest as King Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch. Cecily was alive when her granddaughter Elizabeth of York gave birth to her first three children, Cecily’s great-grandchildren Arthur, Prince of Wales, Margaret Tudor, and King Henry VIII. Through Margaret Tudor, who married James IV, King of Scots, Cecily is an ancestor of the British royal family and many other European royal families.
Unofficial Royalty: Cecily Neville, Duchess of York

May 3, 1446 – Birth of Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy, sister of King Edward IV and King Richard III of England, wife of Charles I, Duke of Burgundy, at Fotheringay Castle in Fotheringay, England
The daughter of Cecily Neville (above) and Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, Margaret married Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, after the death of his second wife Isabella of Bourbon. Margaret and Charles were half-second cousins. They were both great-grandchildren of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the third surviving son of King Edward III, but from different wives of John. Margaret and Charles had no children, but Margaret was the stepmother to Charles’s daughter and successor Mary, Duchess of Burgundy. After Charles the Bold’s death, Margaret proved invaluable to Burgundy. Regarded as skillful and intelligent, Margaret provided guidance and advice to her stepdaughter Mary, using her own experiences in the court of her brother King Edward IV of England.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy

May 3, 1514 – Death of Anna of Brandenburg, Duchess of Schleswig and Holstein, first wife of King Frederik I of Denmark and Norway, in Kiel, Duchy of Schleswig and Holstein, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein; buried at the Convent Church in Bordesholm, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Anna died before her husband became King of Denmark and Norway, but she was the mother of his heir. She often accompanied her husband on his travels, and she was very popular with the people of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. Having two children during her teenage years weakened Anna’s health. She contracted tuberculosis and died, aged 26, while six months pregnant with her third child.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna of Brandenburg, Duchess of Schleswig and Holstein

May 3, 1764 – Birth of Madame Elisabeth of France, sister of King Louis XVI of France, at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France
Full name: Élisabeth Philippine Marie Hélène
Elisabeth was devoted to her brother King Louis XVI, and with his permission, declined all marriage offers so that she could remain in France. She accompanied her brother and his family to imprisonment in the notorious Temple. On May 9, 1794, Elisabeth was transferred to the Conciergerie, where she was tried and condemned to be executed the next day.  She was executed by the guillotine at the Place de la Révolution in Paris (now called Place de la Concorde) with 23 other people.  A very religious person, Elisabeth comforted and prayed with several others awaiting execution.
Unofficial Royalty: Madame Elisabeth of France

May 3, 1783 – Death of Prince Octavius, son of King George III of the United Kingdom, at Kew Palace in Surrey, England; buried at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
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 eradicate 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 inoculated 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. In April 1783, Octavius and his sister Sophia had their smallpox inoculations. Sophia recovered without incident, but four-year-old Octavius became ill and died several days later, on May 3, 1783.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Octavius of Great Britain
Unofficial Royalty: Smallpox Knew No Class Boundaries

May 3, 1826 – Birth of King Carl XV of Sweden/King Karl IV of Norway at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden
Full name: Carl Ludwig Eugen
Upon his father’s death in 1859, Carl ascended to the thrones of Sweden as King Karl XV, and of Norway as King Karl IV. He was crowned in Sweden on May 3, 1860, and in Norway on August 5, 1860. Despite his abrupt manner, he is noted as one of the most successful  Swedish sovereigns. During his reign, he oversaw the enactment of communal law, ecclesiastical law, and criminal law, and in 1858, passed the law of legal majority for unmarried women
Unofficial Royalty: King Carl XV of Sweden/King Karl IV of Norway

May 3, 1870 – Birth of Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, at Frogmore House in Windsor, England
Full name: Victoria Louise Sophia Augusta Amelia Helena
Helena Victoria, known as Thora, was the daughter of Princess Helena and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. Thora never married and remained at home. Following her mother’s example, Thora was involved in many charities and organizations. These included the YMCA, YWCA, and Princess Christian’s Nursing Home in Windsor (established by her mother). She was also, with her sister Marie Louise, an avid supporter of the arts, and often held small concerts and performances at their various homes. Like her mother, Thora also assisted her aunt Beatrice in serving as an unofficial secretary to Queen Victoria. In the last few months of the Queen’s life, she often dictated her journal to Helena Victoria.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein

May 3, 1905 – Birth of Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, Head of the House of Wittelsbach and pretender to the former Bavarian throne from 1955 until his death in 1996, in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria
Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria was Head of the House of Wittelsbach and pretender to the former Bavarian throne from 1955 until he died in 1996. He was the eldest surviving grandson of the last reigning King of Bavaria, Ludwig III, and also the heir to the Jacobite succession.
Unofficial Royalty: Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria
Unofficial Royalty: The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne

May 3, 1918 – Death of Princess Marie Anna of Saxe-Altenburg, wife of Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, in Bückeburg, Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe, now in the German state of Lower Saxony; buried at the Bückeburg Mausoleum in the park surrounding Bückeburg Castle
In 1882, Maria Anna married the future Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and the couple had nine children. Upon the death of his father in 1893, Maria Anna’s husband Georg became the reigning Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe. As Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe, Maria Anna supported churches and schools. Maria Anna’s husband died in 1911, and Marie Anna survived her husband by seven years, dying on May 3, 1918, at age 54.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie Anna of Saxe-Altenburg, Princess of Schaumberg-Lippe

May 3, 1974 – Birth of Princess Haya bint Hussein, daughter of King Hussein of Jordan and his third wife Queen Alia al-Hussein, in Amman, Jordan
A skilled equestrian, Princess Haya was the first female to represent Jordan internationally in show jumping. She won individual bronze at the 1992 Pan Arab Games, becoming the first female to ever win a Pan-Arab medal in equestrian sports. She was named Equestrian Personality of the Year in 1996, by the Spanish Equestrian Federation. In 2000, she competed in the Sydney Olympic Games and was the flag-bearer for the Jordanian athletes. In 2004, Haya became the junior wife of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emir of Dubai, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. The couple had two children. Sheikh Mohammed divorced Princess Haya under Sharia Law in February 2019, but did not inform Haya. In the early summer of 2019, Princess Haya took her two children and fled to London, where she sought political asylum. In 2021, Princess Haya was granted full custody of her children by a British court. In March 2022, the British High Court declared that Princess Haya had been a victim of “domestic abuse”, and she was announced as the sole person in charge of the children’s schooling and medical care.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Haya bint Hussein

May 3, 1986 – Birth of Jack Brooksbank, husband of Princess Eugenie of York, born at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, Lambeth, England
Full name: Jack Christopher Stamp
Jack and Eugenie are third cousins twice removed via their mutual descent from Thomas Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester. They were married on October 12, 2018, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. The couple has two sons.
Unofficial Royalty: Jack Brooksbank

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Helen of Greece, Queen Mother of Romania Credit – Wikipedia

May 2, 1729 – Birth of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia, born Princess Sophie  of Anhalt-Zerbst, in Stettin, Pomerania, Kingdom of Prussia, now Szczecin, Poland
Never destined at birth to be a monarch or even married to a monarch, Princess Sophie Auguste Friederike of Anhalt-Zerbst achieved both. She married Grand Duke Peter Feodorovich (born Carl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp), the grandson of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia, and the successor of his unmarried aunt Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia, as Peter III, Emperor of All Russia. A conspiracy to overthrow Peter was planned and centered around the five Orlov brothers. After a reign of five months, Peter III was deposed, died under circumstances that remain unclear, and his wife became Catherine II, Empress of All Russia, now known as Catherine the Great. During Catherine’s reign, Russia grew larger and stronger and was recognized as one of the great powers of Europe.
Unofficial Royalty: Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia

May 2, 1816 – Wedding of Princess Charlotte of Wales and Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, later Leopold I, King of the Belgians, at Carlton House in London, England
In 1814, the handsome Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (after 1826, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) visited London and met Charlotte. It was love at first sight. The newlywed couple settled at Claremont House, which the British nation had purchased by an Act of Parliament as a wedding gift for Charlotte and Leopold. Charlotte was second in the line of succession to the British throne and would have succeeded her father, the future George IV, as Queen, but on November 6, 1817, a great tragedy struck the British Royal Family.  After a labor of over 50 hours, Charlotte delivered a stillborn son. Several hours later, twenty-one-year-old Princess Charlotte, the only child of George, Prince of Wales, and King George III’s only legitimate grandchild, died of postpartum hemorrhage.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Charlotte of Wales
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold I, King of the Belgians

May 2, 1896 – Birth of Princess Helen of Greece, Queen Mother of Romania, wife of King Carol II of Romania, in Athens, Greece
Helen’s marriage to Carol was unsuccessful, and the couple divorced. She was the Queen Mother of Romania during the reign of her son, King Michael. Helen was noted for her humanitarian efforts to save Romanian Jews during World War II, which led to her being named Righteous Among the Nations by Israel.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Helen of Greece, Queen Mother of Romania

May 2, 1914 – Death of John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll, husband of Princess Louise of the United Kingdom, daughter of Queen Victoria, at Kent House in Cowes, Isle of Wight, England; buried at St. Munn’s Parish Church in Kilmun, Scotland
In 1878, Lorne, as he was called, was appointed Governor-General of Canada, where he served for five years. Lorne and his wife Princess Louise traveled extensively throughout Canada, bringing a royal touch to the country. From 1892 until his death, he was the Governor and Constable of Windsor Castle, appointed by his mother-in-law Queen Victoria. Although more of a title than an actual job, Lorne took the position very seriously. He wrote an extensive history of the castle – The Governor’s Guide to Windsor Castle.
Unofficial Royalty: John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll

May 2, 1938 – Birth of King Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho in Morija, Basutoland, now in Lesotho
Moshoeshoe II was Paramount Chief of Basutoland (the former name of Lesotho) from 1960 – 1965 and King of Lesotho from 1965 – 1990. The Kingdom of Lesotho is a country completely within South Africa’s borders. In December 1990, King Moshoeshoe II  was deposed, and his elder son became king, reigning as King Letsie III. Letsie III was embarrassed at being king while his father was still alive, and tried to persuade the government to reinstate his father as king. In August 1994, he enacted a new coup d’état with the army. Having obtained power, Letsie promised to return power to the previous government on the condition that Moshoeshoe II would return to being King of Lesotho. Moshoeshoe II’s second reign was brief. In the Maloti Mountains in Lesotho, Moshoeshoe’s car plunged off a mountain road during the early hours of January 15, 1996, killing him and his chauffeur.
Unofficial Royalty: King Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho

May 2, 2015 – Birth of Princess Charlotte of Wales, daughter of Prince William, The Prince of Wales, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, England
Full name: Charlotte Elizabeth Diana
Regardless of the gender of any younger siblings, Princess Charlotte will retain her place in the line of succession to the British throne until her older brother has children. The Succession to the Crown Act 2013, which formally went into effect on March 26, 2015, put in place absolute primogeniture, which means that for those born after October 28, 2011, the eldest child becomes the heir to his or her parent, regardless of gender. With the birth of her younger brother Prince Louis in 2018, Charlotte became the first British princess not to be overtaken in the line of succession by her younger brother.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Charlotte of Wales

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