Count Ingolf of Rosenborg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Count Ingolf of Rosenborg with his wife Countess Sussie; Credit – Wikipedia

Count Ingolf of Rosenborg (Ingolf Christian Frederik Knud Harald Gorm Gustav Viggo Valdemar Aage) was born a Prince of Denmark on February 17, 1940, at Sorgenfri Palace in Lyngby-Taarbæk, Denmark, north of Copenhagen. He was the elder son and the second of the three children of Prince Knud of Denmark (son of King Christian X) and Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark (daughter of Prince Harald of Denmark who was a son of King Frederik VIII). Ingolf had an elder sister and a younger brother:

In 1947, Ingolf’s grandfather King Christian X died and his uncle King Frederik IX acceded to the throne. At that time, only males were allowed to be in the line of succession. King Frederik had three daughters, so Prince Knud, Ingolf’s father and the King’s only brother, was the heir presumptive and Ingolf was second in the line of succession. As the early years of King Frederik’s reign passed and no baby prince was born to King Frederik, it seemed likely that Knud would succeed his brother as King and that eventually, Ingolf would be King.

Because of the unpopularity of Prince Knud and the belief that the 1853 succession law was outdated, the Danish Act of Succession was adopted on March 27, 1953. The new law allowed for female succession if the monarch had no sons. This enabled the daughters of King Frederik IX to supplant their uncle Knud and cousin Ingolf in the line of succession. Instead of being first and second in the line of succession, Knud and Ingolf were now fourth and fifth behind Margrethe, Benedikte, and Anne-Marie, King Frederik IX’s daughters. To compensate for the change in the succession, Knud was given the title Hereditary Prince of Denmark, and both Knud and his elder son Ingolf were granted fixed annuities and additional flexible annuities for life. In 1972, Frederik’s eldest daughter succeeded him as Queen Margrethe II and in 2009 the succession law was changed to allow for the succession of the firstborn child regardless of gender.

In 1968, Ingolf decided to marry Inge Terney (1938 – 1996), an untitled commoner. He decided to marry without seeking King Frederik IX’s permission because he had little chance of succeeding to the throne and it was expected that the King would not give permission. This would mean that Ingolf’s succession rights would be forfeited. The title Count of Rosenborg had been granted to other Danish princes who had relinquished their position within the Royal Family upon marrying without official consent from the monarch. Before his son’s wedding, Prince Knud tried to convince his brother that Ingolf should be allowed to retain his royal title after marriage, but King Frederik IX refused. After Ingolf’s wedding on January 13, 1968, he was styled His Excellency Count Ingolf of Rosenborg. For a history of the title Count of Rosenborg, see Unofficial Royalty: The Danish Counts of Rosenborg.

After his first wife died in 1996, Ingolf married lawyer Sussie Hjorhøy Pedersen (born 1950) on March 7, 1998, at the City Hall in Egtved, Denmark. Ingolf had no children from either marriage and lives at his estate Egeland in Egtved, Denmark. Ingolf and his wife attend major events of the Danish Royal Family.

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.

Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark, Hereditary Princess of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer    © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark, Hereditary Princess of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 27, 1912, Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark was born at Jægersborghus, a country house in Gentofte, north of Copenhagen, Denmark. She was the second child of the five children of Prince Harald of Denmark and his wife, Princess Helena of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.  At the time of her birth, her grandfather Frederik VIII, was King of Denmark, although he died three weeks after her birth. Caroline-Mathilde was named after her maternal grandmother and was known in the family as Calma. Her full name was Caroline-Mathilde Louise Dagmar Christine Maud Augusta Ingeborg Thyra Adelheid.

Caroline-Mathilde had two sisters and two brothers:

  • Princess Feodora (1910 – 1975), married her first cousin, Prince Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe, had issue
  • Princess Alexandrine-Louise (1914 – 1962), married Count Luitpold of Castell-Castell, had issue
  • Prince Gorm (1919 – 1991), unmarried, no issue
  • Prince Oluf (1923 – 1990), lost his title, became His Excellency Count Oluf of Rosenborg after marrying without consent (1) Annie Helene Dorrit Puggard-Müller (2) Lis Wulff-Juergensen, had issue with both wives

On September 8, 1933, Princess Caroline-Mathilde married her first cousin, Prince Knud of Denmark at Fredensborg Palace in Zealand, Denmark. Knud was the younger son of King Christian X of Denmark, the brother of Caroline-Mathilde’s father, Prince Harald. The couple lived at Sorgenfri Palace in Kongens Lyngby, north of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Caroline-Mathilde and Knud had one daughter and two sons:

  • Princess Elisabeth (1935 – 2018), unmarried
  • Count Ingolf of Rosenborg, born Prince Ingolf of Denmark (born 1940), married (1) Inge Terney, no children; Ingolf married without consent and therefore lost his royal style and title and his succession rights  (2) Sussie Hjorhøy, no children
  • Count Christian of Rosenborg, born Prince Christian of Denmark (1942 – 2013), married Anne Dorte Maltoft-Nielsen, had three daughters who are not in the line of succession; Christian married without consent and therefore lost his royal style and title and his succession rights
Knud of Denmark Family

Caroline-Mathilde and her family; Credit – danishroyalmediawatch.blogspot.com

From 1947 to 1953, Prince Knud was the heir presumptive of his older brother, King Frederick IX. Knud would have become king and Caroline Mathilde queen, but a 1953 change in the succession law caused Knud to lose his place in the succession to his niece, who became Queen Margrethe II when her father died in 1972. After the change, Prince Knud was given the title Hereditary Prince, and Caroline Mathilde became Hereditary Princess.

Prince Knud died in 1976, and Caroline-Mathilde survived him by 19 years. She died in her home, Sorgenfri Palace in Kongens Lyngby, Denmark, on December 12, 1995, at the age of 83, and was buried with her husband at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark.

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.

Hereditary Prince Knud of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Hereditary Prince Knud of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Knud Christian Frederik Michael was born on July 27, 1900, at Sorgenfri Palace in Lyngby-Taarbæk, Denmark,  the younger of the two sons of King Christian X of Denmark and his wife Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Knud had one older brother:

Knud on the right with his brother Frederik in 1919; Photo Credit – Wikipedia, German Federal Archive

Prince Knud had a military education and attended the Royal Danish Naval Academy. While serving as a naval officer, Prince Knud held several commands, including serving as the commander of Kongelunds Fort in Copenhagen.

On September 8, 1933, Prince Knud married his first cousin Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark (known as Calma) at Fredensborg Palace in Zealand, Denmark. Caroline-Matilda was the daughter of Prince Harald of Denmark who was a brother of Prince Knud’s father King Christian X. The couple lived at Sorgenfri Palace in Kongens Lyngby north of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Knud and Caroline-Mathilde had one daughter and two sons:

  • Princess Elisabeth (1935 – 2018), unmarried
  • Count Ingolf of Rosenborg, born Prince Ingolf of Denmark (born 1940), married (1) Inge Terney, no children; Ingolf married without consent and therefore lost his royal style and title and his succession rights  (2) Sussie Hjorhøy, no children
  • Count Christian of Rosenborg, born Prince Christian of Denmark (1942 – 2013), married Anne Dorte Maltoft-Nielsen, had three daughters who are not in the line of succession; Christian married without consent and therefore lost his royal style and title and his succession rights
Knud of Denmark Family

Prince Knud and his family; Photo Credit – danishroyalmediawatch.blogspot.com

In 1947 when King Christian X died and his elder son became King Frederik IX, Knud was the heir presumptive. Danish succession law did not allow female succession, so King Frederik IX’s three daughters were not in the line of succession. It was expected that Knud and then his elder son Ingolf would become king. However, the 1953 Danish Act of Succession allowed for a female to become queen if she did not have any brothers. With the passage of that act, Knud and Ingolf went from being first and second in the line of succession to being fourth and fifth after the three daughters of King Frederik. The 2009 Act of Succession now allows for the eldest child to become the monarch regardless of gender. To compensate for the change in the succession, Knud was given the title Hereditary Prince of Denmark, and both Knud and his elder son Ingolf were granted fixed annuities and additional flexible annuities for life.

Prince Knud was the inspiration for the idiom, “One more time for Prince Knud,” which has become common in Danish. The meaning of the idiom is that the speaker will repeat what was just said because the listener was slow to grasp it. In 1958, Knud and his wife were attending a ballet at Falconer Centre in Frederiksberg, Denmark. Knud was asked if he had liked a certain scene of the ballet and responded that he had not been able to see it clearly from his vantage point. The whole scene was repeated again, the incident made the newspapers, and the newspaper articles made it seem like, to use another idiom, Prince Knud was not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Hereditary Prince Knud died on June 14, 1976, in Gentofte, Denmark at the age of 75. Hereditary Princess Caroline-Mathilde survived her husband for 19 years and died on December 12, 1995, at the age of 83. Both were interred at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark.

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.

Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Alexandra Christina Manley was born in Hong Kong on June 30, 1964. Her father Richard Manley (1924 – 2010), an insurance company executive, was born in Shanghai, China to a British father and a Chinese mother. Her mother Christa Nowotny, born in 1933 in Austria, is of Austrian and Czech descent and worked as a manager for a communications company. Alexandra has two sisters Nicola Baird and Martina Bent.

Alexandra received her primary and secondary education in Hong Kong at Quarry Bay School, Glenealy School and Island School.  She studied business at universities in Austria, Japan, and the United Kingdom. From 1990 – 1995, Alexandra was employed by GT Management (Asia) Ltd. in Hong Kong.

Alexandra met Prince Joachim of Denmark, the younger son of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, while he was working in Hong Kong. Their engagement, which surprised both families, was announced in May 1995. To marry Joachim, Alexandra had to give up her career, renounce her British citizenship, and change her religion from Anglican to Evangelical Lutheran. On November 18, 1995, the couple was married at the Frederiksborg Palace Chapel in Hillerød, Denmark. Upon her marriage, Alexandra was styled Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra of Denmark.

 

Alexandra and Prince Joachim had two sons:

Queen Margrethe II decided that as of January 1, 2023, the children of Prince Joachim would no longer hold the style and title of His/Her Prince/Princess. Instead, they will hold the title Count/Countess of Monpezat, with the style of His/Her Excellency. This slimming down is in keeping with recent changes in other royal families and will allow Prince Joachim’s children to pursue more independent lives and careers. The Monpezat titles come from the Queen’s late husband, Prince Henrik, who was Count of Monpezat. In 2008, Queen Margrethe granted the title to her sons and their descendants as well.

 

Alexandra adjusted well to living in Denmark. Her fluency in German helped her to learn Danish quickly. She became involved in a number of worthwhile organizations including the Children’s Red Cross, the Danish Society for the Blind, UNICEF, and Mother Help, single mothers’ advocacy group. She also served as a UNICEF ambassador when she traveled to Thailand to visit HIV/AIDS patients.

In 2004, rumors began to circulate that Joachim and Alexandra’s marriage had problems. Their separation and their intention to divorce was announced on September 16, 2004, and their divorce was final on April 8, 2005. The Danish parliament decided to provide Alexandra with an income from the civil list for life regardless of her marriage situation. Alexandra retained her title Princess of Denmark, with the lower style of Her Highness until her remarriage in 2007. In addition, Queen Margrethe II had granted her the personal title of Countess of Frederiksborg with the style of Excellency, and Alexandra is now known as Her Excellency Countess Alexandra of Frederiksborg.

On March 3, 2007, Alexandra married Martin Jørgensen (born March 2, 1978), a photographer 14 years younger than her. The couple divorced in 2015. Alexandra had joint custody of her two sons with her former husband Prince Joachim who also remarried. Joachim and Alexandra have maintained close ties and are often seen together with their sons.  Alexandra attends events involving the Danish Royal Family such as the 40th Jubilee of Queen Margrethe II which she attended with her former husband Martin Jørgensen as seen in the photo below.

 

On June 23, 2017, Alexandra announced that she would renounce her yearly allowance of 2.1m kroner (US $330,000) in July 2020, coinciding with the 18th birthday of her younger son Felix.

In October 2017, it was announced that Alexandra had joined the Kelley School of Business, the business school of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, in the position of the Poling Chair of Business and Government for the 2017-2018 academic year.  The press release from Indiana University stated  that “Recipients of the Poling Chair are given the charge to stimulate discussion in the areas of leadership, the critical interactions between private business and government in matters of public policy, enterprise competitiveness, and economic growth.”

Embed from Getty Images 

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Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Richard Casimir Karl August Robert Konstantin) was born on October 29, 1934, in Giessen, Germany. He was the eldest of the five children of Gustav Albrecht, 5th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Margareta Fouché d’Otrante.  Richard’s father served in the German Army during World War II and in 1944 he went missing during a mission in the then Soviet Union, but he was not declared legally dead until 1969. Richard’s mother Margareta was born in Elghammar, Sweden and the family went back to her native country where they lived with Margareta’s father Charles Louis Fouché, 4th Duke of Otranto at Elghammar Castle.

Richard had four younger siblings:

  • Princess Madeleine of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (born 1936), married Otto, Count zu Solms-Laubach, had children
  • Prince Robin of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (born 1938), married  (1) Birgitta af Klercker, had one son and one daughter, divorced  (2)  Marie-Christine Heftler-Louiche, had one daughter
  • Princess Tatiana of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (born 1940) married Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse, had two daughters and two sons, divorced
  • Princess Pia of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (born 1942)

Richard was educated at boarding schools in Viggbyholm, Sweden and Sigtuna, Sweden. He then studied forestry at Munich University and obtained a degree in forestry at the University of Göttingen.  Richard then joined the Wittgenstein Berleburgische Rentkammer, based at the family home Berleburg Castle, which manages the family’s 30,000 acres of forest and about 150 plots at home and abroad, as well as its corporate investments.

Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg was originally a county (its ruler was a Count) located in the present district of Siegen-Wittgenstein, Germany in the present state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In 1792, Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg was raised to a principality and its ruler was then a Prince (Fürst in German). In 1806, Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg was mediatized into the Grand Duchy of Hesse and then was annexed by Prussia in 1816. In 1919, Germany stopped recognizing the various titles of the nobility and royalty. In Germany today former hereditary titles are allowed only as part of the surname.

At the wedding of Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1966, Richard met his future wife Princess Benedikte of Denmark, the daughter of King Frederik IX of Denmark. The couple married at the Fredensborg Palace Church in Fredensborg, Denmark on February 3, 1968.

Richard and Benedikte had one son and two daughters. Because their three children were not raised in Denmark, they are not in the line of succession to the Danish throne. However, they are styled as Highnesses in Denmark and Serene Highnesses elsewhere. Richard’s daughter Nathalie competed for Denmark in the Equestrian Team and Individual Dressage in the 2008/Bejing and 2012/London Summer Olympics. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Nathalie won a Bronze Medal in Team Dressage.

 

Richard was active in many conservation programs including a project to reintroduce European bison on his 30,000-acre estate. See NPR: German Prince Plans To Put Bison Back In The Wild.

Prince Richard died at his home, Berleburg Castle, in Bad Berleburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany on March 13, 2017, at the age of 82. He was buried at the Forest Cemetery Sengelsberg in Berleburg, Germany.

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.

Ingrid of Sweden, Queen of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Ingrid of Sweden, Queen of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Ingrid of Sweden was born on March 28, 1910, at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. At the time of her birth her parents, the future King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden and Princess Margaret of Connaught, were the Crown Prince and Princess of Sweden. Ingrid’s mother was the daughter of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, and therefore a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Ingrid was the only daughter and the third of her parents’ five children.

Ingrid had four brothers:

The infant princess was christened Ingrid Victoria Sofia Louise Margareta on May 5, 1910, at the Royal Chapel in the Royal Palace of Stockholm. Her godparents were:

In 1920, when Ingrid’s mother was eight months pregnant with her sixth child, she underwent mastoid surgery. An infection developed which killed Crown Princess Margaret, at the age of 38, and her unborn child on May 1, 1920. Ten-year-old Ingrid and four brothers ranging in age from three to fourteen years old were left motherless. In 1923, Ingrid’s father married Lady Louise Mountbatten, daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg (later Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven) and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. The couple remained childless and became King and Queen of Sweden in 1950.

Ingrid was well educated. She studied history, art history, and political science, and learned several languages. Long stays in Paris and Rome enhanced her knowledge of art and culture. Along with her father, stepmother, and brother Prince Bertil, Ingrid took a five-month journey through the Middle East in 1934-1935.

On March 15, 1935, Ingrid became engaged to Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, her third cousin. The couple was married at Stockholm Cathedral (Storkyrkan) in Stockholm, Sweden on May 24, 1935.

Frederik and Ingrid ride through the streets after their wedding; Credit – Wikipedia

Ingrid and Frederik had three daughters:

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Ingrid lived at Frederik VIII’s Palace at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. Ingrid quickly learned Danish and came especially to love Jutland, where Gråsten Palace became their summer home. During World War II, Ingrid took a very critical attitude towards Nazism. The popularity of the Danish royal family increased because they remained in Denmark despite the German occupation and stayed visible to the Danish people. Unaccompanied by a groom, Ingrid’s father-in-law King Christian X took a daily ride on his horse through Copenhagen. Ingrid was often seen riding her bicycle or pushing her eldest daughter Margrethe in her carriage through the streets of Copenhagen.

 

On April 20, 1947, King Christian X died and Ingrid’s husband acceded to the throne as King Frederik IX. Queen Ingrid reformed some outdated practices at court and created a more relaxed atmosphere. She was interested in gardening and art, and, after researching the original appearance of Gråsten Palace, she oversaw the renovations there.

 

King Frederik IX died on January 14, 1972, and his eldest daughter became Queen Margrethe II, the first female monarch of Denmark since Queen Margrethe I, ruler of the Scandinavian countries in 1375–1412 during the Kalmar Union.  That same year Ingrid was appointed Regent, the representative of her daughter when she was absent from Denmark. Since the Constitution of 1871, only the Crown Prince had been allowed to act as Regent in the absence of the Monarch. Ingrid had long been a patron of many social organizations, positions which she eventually left to her middle daughter Princess Benedikte as the years passed.

Above photo: Queen Ingrid kissing the bride at the 1999 wedding of her granddaughter Princess Alexia of Greece

On November 7, 2000, at Fredensborg Palace, Queen Ingrid died at the age of 90, surrounded by her three daughters and her ten grandchildren. She was buried beside her husband outside of Roskilde Cathedral.

Grave 1 Frederik IX of Denmark

Site of the graves of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid outside Roskilde Cathedral; Credit – Susan Flantzer

Grave 2 Frederik IX of Denmark

Grave of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid; Credit – Susan Flantzer

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.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King Frederik IX of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2015

King Frederik IX of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

King Frederik IX of Denmark was born on March 11, 1899, at Sorgenfri Palace in Kongens Lyngby, Denmark. He was the elder of the two sons of the future King Christian X of Denmark and his wife Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. With Frederik’s birth, there were four generations of Danish kings alive: the current monarch and Frederik’s great-grandfather King Christian IX, his grandfather the future King Frederik VIII, his father the future King Christian X, and baby Frederik.

Four generations of kings; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 9, 1899, the infant prince was christened Christian Frederik Franz Michael Carl Valdemar Georg. Frederik had an astounding 21 godparents including:

Frederik had one sibling:

Frederik and his brother Knud; Credit – Wikipedia, United States Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

Frederik was educated at the Royal Danish Naval Academy and the University of Copenhagen. He had a career in the Royal Danish Navy where he had several senior commands and attained the rank of Rear Admiral. Frederik is famous for having acquired several tattoos during his time in the navy.

Frederik IX tattos

King Frederik IX showing off his physique and his tattoos; Photo Credit – http://cphpost.dk

In 1922, Frederik became engaged to his second cousin Princess Olga of Greece. However, the engagement was broken and Olga married Prince Paul of Yugoslavia. On March 15, 1935, Frederik became engaged to Princess Ingrid of Sweden, daughter of King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife Princess Margaret of Connaught, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. The couple were married at the Storkyrkan in Stockholm, Sweden on May 24, 1935

Frederik and Ingrid ride through the streets after their wedding; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik and Ingrid had three daughters:

Embed from Getty Images 

Frederik and Ingrid’s firstborn child Margrethe was born within days of the German occupation of Denmark during World War II, and the little princess quickly became a bright spot in those terrible times. It was a common sight to see Frederik and Ingrid walking with Margrethe in her baby carriage through the streets of Copenhagen.

In 1947, Frederik succeeded to the throne upon the death of his father King Christian X. The Royal Ordinance of 1853 specified that the succession to the throne would be according to agnatic primogeniture, male succession, and the heir-presumptive to the throne was Hereditary Prince Knud, the King’s younger brother. Because of the unpopularity of Prince Knud and the belief that the 1853 succession law was outdated, the Danish Act of Succession was adopted on March 27, 1953. The new law allowed for female succession if the monarch had no sons. This enabled the daughters of King Frederik IX to supplant their uncle Knud in the line of succession. A 2009 succession law now allows for the succession of the firstborn child regardless of gender.

King Frederik and Queen Ingrid traveled on the royal yacht Dannebrog to most ports in Denmark and also to the Faroe Islands and Greenland. King Frederik IX had a warm, friendly personality and was able to break down the distance between the Danish people and the royal family. He once showed a TV reporter around Amalienborg Palace and said: “Yes, we live like other people. And here’s the tapestry hall.”

King Frederik and Queen Ingrid in 1950; Credit – Wikipedia; Photo: Sven Türck (1897-1954) Department of Maps, Print and Photographs, The Royal Library, Denmark

King Frederik also had a great love for music and was a talented pianist and conductor. Several recordings of orchestral music originally heard on Danish radio conducted by King Frederik have been released on CDs.

Frederik IX CD

King Frederik IX Conducts the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra; Photo Credit – Amazon.com

In January 1972, shortly after Frederik had given his New Year speech, he became ill with flu-like symptoms. On January 3, 1972, he had a cardiac arrest and was rushed to Copenhagen Municipal Hospital. He improved for a time but took a turn for the worse on January 11, and on January 14, 1972, King Frederik IX died at the age of 72.  Unlike other Danish monarchs who had been buried inside Roskilde Cathedral, the burial place of Danish monarchs in Roskilde, Denmark, Frederik wanted to be buried outside in sight of the sea. He was succeeded by his eldest daughter, Queen Margrethe II. Queen Ingrid survived her husband by 28 years. When she died on November 7, 2000, her remains were interred alongside him outside Roskilde Cathedral.

Two photos of the burial site were taken by this writer who can verify that the Roskilde Fjord can be seen from the site of the grave.

Grave 1 Frederik IX of Denmark

Site of King Frederik IX’s grave outside Roskilde Cathedral; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Grave 2 Frederik IX of Denmark

Grave of King Frederik IX and his wife Queen Ingrid; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

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.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

January 1915: Royalty and World War I

by Susan Flantzer


“One loss follows another till one is dazed” ~ Lord Rosebery, former British Prime Minister

Robert Cornwallis Maude, 6th Viscount Hawarden; Photo Credit – http://www.chch.ox.ac.uk

A career in the British Army was not an unusual thing for British peers and their sons, and when World War I started, peers and their sons were well represented among the officers and also well represented in the deaths. It has been estimated that up to one third of the families of British peers lost at least one member. By the end of 1915, the British death toll included nine peers and 95 sons of peers, and it would get worse. By the end of the war, 20% of the peers and their sons who served in World War I had died. Although death did not discriminate between the aristocrat and the commoner, it did favor the young. Nine percent of the British male population under the age of 45 died in World War I.

Both an aristocrat and young, the first peer to die in World War I was only 23. Robert Cornwallis Maude, 6th Viscount Hawarden was born on September 6, 1890, the only child of Robert Maude, 5th Viscount Hawarden and Caroline Ogle, the daughter of a British Army Colonel. Young Robert succeeded to his father’s title at the age of 18. He was educated at St. Michael’s School in Westgate-on-Sea, Kent, England. Robert graduated from Christ Church, Oxford University with a Bachelor of Arts. While at university, he was a member of the University Contingent of the Officers’ Training Corps.

In August 1914, Robert was mobilized and joined the 3rd Battalion of the Coldstream Guards with the rank of Lieutenant. On August 26, 1914, Robert was killed in action at the Battle of Mons in Belgium.  He was buried at the Landrecies Communal Cemetery in Landrecies, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France.

Grave of Robert Cornwallis Maude, 6th Viscount Hawarden

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Timeline: January 1, 1915 – January 31, 1915

  • January 2 – April 12 – Russian offensive in the Carpathians begins
  • January 18–19 – Battle of Jassin in Jassin, German East Africa (now Burundi, Rwanda, and the mainland part of Tanzania)
  • January 19 – First Zeppelin raid on Great Britain
  • January 19 – December 22 – Battle of Hartmannswillerkopf in Alsace, France, a series of battles fought to control the peak
  • January 24 – Battle of Dogger Bank, naval battle fought in the North Sea off the coast of eastern England between squadrons of the British Grand Fleet and the German Hochseeflotte
  • January 24–26 – Chilembwe Uprising led by John Chilembwe in Nyasaland (now Malawi)
  • January 28 – February 3 – Ottomans fail to capture the Suez Canal
  • January 31 – Battle of Bolimov near Bolimów, Poland; first German use of chemical weapons

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A Note About German Titles

Most of the royals who died in action during World War I were German. The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent states, most of them ruled by royal families. Scroll down to German Empire here to see what constituent states made up the German Empire.  The constituent states retained their own governments, but had limited sovereignty. Some had their own armies, but the military forces of the smaller ones were put under Prussian control. In wartime, armies of all the constituent states would be controlled by the Prussian Army and the combined forces were known as the Imperial German Army.  German titles may be used in Royals Who Died In Action below. Refer to Unofficial Royalty: Glossary of German Noble and Royal Titles.

24 British peers were also killed in World War I and they will be included in the list of those who died in action. In addition, more than 100 sons of peers also lost their lives, and those that can be verified will also be included.

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January 1915 – Royals Who Died In Action

The list is in chronological order and does contain some who would be considered noble instead of royal. The links in the last bullet for each person is that person’s genealogical information from Leo’s Genealogics Website or to The Peerage website.  If a person has a Wikipedia page, their name will be linked to that page.

Captain The Honorable John Beresford Campbell

  • 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards
  • eldest son of Hallyburton George Campbell, 3rd Baron Stratheden of Cupar and Campbell of St. Andrews and Louisa Mary Hope
  • born June 20, 1866 at Prince’s Terrace, Prince’s Gate in London, England
  • married 1895 The Honorable Alice Susan Hamilton, had issue
  • killed in action at Cuinchy, Pas-de-Calais, France on January 25, 1915, age 48
  • his eldest son Donald Campbell died in action on July 19, 1916, age 20
  • http://www.thepeerage.com/p19873.htm#i198728

Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon – photo: Wikipedia

Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon was the husband of Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom from 1960-1978. A gifted artist and photographer, he remained close to the British Royal Family even after his divorce from Princess Margaret.

 

Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones was born on March 7, 1930, to Ronald Armstrong-Jones and his first wife Anne Messel. He had an older sister Susan, later Viscountess Vesci, and three half-siblings from his parents’ other marriages. He was educated at Sandroyd School, in Wiltshire, and Eton College, and then enrolled at Jesus College, Cambridge University where he studied architecture. Following university, Armstrong-Jones began working as a photographer, later becoming known for his portraits, including portraits of several British royal family members. Snowdon thrived in the art world and designed the 1969 investiture ceremony for the Prince of Wales, the future King Charles III, at Caernarfon Castle.

 

In February 1960, it was announced that Armstrong-Jones was engaged to Princess Margaret, the younger daughter of King George VI of the United Kingdom and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. The couple married in Westminster Abbey on May 6, 1960. On October 6, 1961, he was created Earl of Snowdon and Viscount Linley, just before the birth of their first child.

Antony and Margaret had two children:

The marriage of Antony and Margaret, while happy at the beginning, quickly turned sour. Both were rumored to have had affairs and often battled publicly. After many years of discord, the couple divorced in 1978.

A month later, on December 15, 1978, Snowdon married Lucy Mary Lindsay-Hogg (née Davies). and they had one daughter. This marriage, too, would end in 2000, after it was revealed that Snowdon had fathered a son in 1998 with another woman.

  • Lady Frances Armstrong-Jones (born 1979), married Rodolphe von Hofmannsthal, had two sons and one daughter

On November 16, 1999, Antony was created Baron Armstrong-Jones of Nymans, a life peerage, to retain his seat in the House of Lords. Despite no longer being married to a member of the royal family, Snowdon maintained a close relationship with them. At Princess Margaret’s funeral in 2002, he was among the leading mourners, alongside the couple’s children, Queen Elizabeth II, and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

On January 13, 2017, Lord Snowdon died peacefully at his home in Kensington, London, England at the age of 86 and was buried at St. Baglan’s Church in Llanfaglan, Wales. His son David succeeded him as 2nd Earl of Snowdon.  Antony’s former sister-in-law Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh along with their sons Prince Andrew and Prince Edward and their grandson Prince William, attended the memorial service for Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon on April 7, 2017, at the Church of St Margaret in Westminster, London, England on the grounds of Westminster Abbey.

 

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Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon  photo: Wikipedia

Princess Margaret was the second daughter of King George VI of the United Kingdom and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, daughter of Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th and 1st Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II. She was born Princess Margaret Rose of York on August 21, 1930, at Glamis Castle in Scotland. At the time of her birth, she was fourth in the line of succession to the British throne.

 

She was christened by Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace in London, England on October 30, 1930. Her godparents were:

 

Just six years after she was born, her grandfather King George V passed away and her uncle became King Edward VIII. Just eleven months later, he abdicated, and Margaret’s father became King George VI. The family moved from their modest home at 145 Piccadilly, to Buckingham Palace. Margaret was a Brownie with the 1st Buckingham Palace Brownie Pack, and later a Girl Guide and Sea Ranger. These organizations held a special place in Margaret’s heart, and she remained involved with them until her death. She was educated privately by a governess, Marion Crawford, who later wrote a book about the Princesses which resulted in her being banished from royal life. During World War II, Margaret and Elizabeth lived at Windsor Castle, deemed safer than living in London. It was suggested that the two be sent to Canada for the duration of the war, but their mother quickly dismissed that idea. Despite the war, the two girls managed to enjoy a relatively ‘normal’ life at Windsor.

 

Sadly, in February 1952, her father King George VI passed away, and her sister became Queen. Margaret and her mother soon moved into Clarence House, along with the new Comptroller of her mother’s household, Group Captain Peter Townsend. Townsend had been an equerry to King George VI, and later Deputy Master of the Household. He and Margaret began a relationship and quickly fell in love. In 1953, he proposed and Margaret accepted. However, there were many obstacles at the time. He was sixteen years older than Margaret and was divorced with two children. At the time, the Church of England would not sanction the marriage of a divorced person. The Queen, who was preparing for her Coronation and then the Commonwealth tour, asked the couple to wait a year. Hoping to dissuade them, Queen Elizabeth had Townsend transferred to her household. For the next two years, the couple waited, hoping to be permitted to marry, but Prime Minister Winston Churchill advised the Queen that Parliament would not approve the marriage unless Margaret relinquished her rights to the throne and her royal position. Margaret finally gave in. On October 31, 1955, she issued a statement announcing she would not marry Group Captain Townsend. She chose to put her royal role and duties ahead of her personal happiness.

 

Five years later, on February 26, 1960, it was announced that Princess Margaret was engaged to Antony Armstrong-Jones. The two had managed to keep their relationship very private, taking many people by surprise when the engagement was announced. They married in Westminster Abbey in London, England on May 6, 1960. Their wedding would be the first British royal wedding to be televised. Despite her position as daughter and sister of a Sovereign, only one foreign royal attended, Queen Ingrid of Denmark, one of Margaret’s godparents. It was speculated that many other royals disapproved of Margaret’s marriage to a commoner, let alone a photographer.

Following a six-week cruise on HMS Britannia, the couple moved into Apartment 10 at Kensington Palace in London, England. The following year, Margaret’s husband was created Earl of Snowdon and Viscount Linley. Having initially turned down any titles, the couple decided to accept when they were expecting their first child. In Margaret’s eyes, it would have been “improper” for the child of a Princess to be born with no title. Two children were born to the couple:

With their family growing, in 1963, the couple moved into the newly renovated Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace. Princess Margaret would live there until her death. Another residence was on the island of Mustique. As a wedding present, Margaret had received a plot of land on the island from her friend Colin Tennant, 3rd Baron Glenconner. In 1971, Colin’s wife Anne Tennant, Baroness Glenconner became Margaret’s lady-in-waiting and remained in that position until Margaret’s death. Margaret had a home built on the plot of land in Mustique, called Les Jolies Eaux, in the early 1970s and often spent time there. She kept the home until 1996 when she gave it to her son as a wedding present. He subsequently sold the property.

The Snowdon marriage was anything but calm and peaceful. Two very strong personalities, often at odds, led to volatile rows and many affairs for both of them. Margaret’s many paramours included Robin Douglas-Home (who also had a relationship with Princess Margaretha of Sweden) and Roddy Llewellyn. Llewellyn became known as Margaret’s “boy toy”, and the press published photos of the two in their swimsuits together on Mustique. This finally brought about the formal end of Margaret’s marriage. The couple was formally divorced on July 11, 1978.

Margaret was the patron or president of numerous organizations. Her main charitable interests were welfare charities, music, and ballet. Among her charities were:

 

Having suffered from ill health for many years, Princess Margaret made her last public appearance at the 100th birthday celebration for her aunt Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester in December 2001. In a wheelchair for several years, she suffered several strokes which left her a shell of her former self. On February 9, 2002, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon died at King Edward VII Hospital in London, England after suffering another stroke. Her funeral was held on February 15, 2022, the 50th anniversary of her father’s funeral,  at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. Following the ceremony, her remains were cremated at her request and placed in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel. Sadly, her funeral would also be one of the last public appearances of The Queen Mother, who would pass away just six weeks later. Following her mother’s funeral, Margaret’s ashes were placed in the King George VI Memorial Chapel at St George’s Chapel, alongside the tombs of her parents.

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