Prince Michael of Kent

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Prince Michael of Kent; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Michael of Kent was born on July 4, 1942, at Coppins, his family’s country house in Iver, Buckinghamshire, England. He is the youngest of the three children of Prince George, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece, and one of the nine grandchildren of King George V. Because Prince Michael was born on American Independence Day, the Duke of Kent asked President Franklin Roosevelt to be one of his son’s godparents. President Roosevelt accepted and the baby prince was named Michael George Charles Franklin. See Unofficial Royalty: Born on the Fourth of July.

Michael was christened on August 4, 1942, at the Private Chapel in Windsor Castle. His godparents were:

 

Michael has two elder siblings:

Sadly, six weeks after his son’s birth, on August 25, 1942, the Duke of Kent died in a Royal Air Force plane crash in the service of his country. In 1947, Prince Michael served as a page boy at the wedding of his cousins, Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten.

Prince Michael was educated at Sunningdale School in Sunningdale, Berkshire, England and Eton College in Eton, Berkshire, England. He attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and was commissioned into the 11th Hussars (Prince Albert’s Own).  Prince Michael served in Germany and Hong Kong and was part of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus in 1971. He had a twenty-year career in the military which included serving on the Defense Intelligence Staff.

Prince Michael does not carry out any official duties, although he occasionally represented Queen Elizabeth II, his first cousin, at events abroad.   Because he receives no public funds, Prince Michael had the permission of the Queen to earn a living and has his own consulting company.

Prince Michael attends the reburial ceremony for Empress Maria Feodorovna at the Cathedral of the Peter and Paul in St. Petersburg, 2006

Prince Michael had a strong interest in Russia and was the first member of the British Royal Family to learn Russian. Three of his grandparents were first cousins of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia and it has been said that Michael bears some resemblance to Nicholas. Prince Michael has qualified as a Russian interpreter and has traveled frequently to Russia. He has represented his cousin, Queen Elizabeth II, at Romanov-related events including the 1998 burial of Nicholas II and his family and the 2006 reburial of Empress Maria Feodorovna.

On June 30, 1978, Prince Michael married Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz, now known as Princess Michael of Kent, in a civil ceremony at the Rathaus (City Hall) in Vienna, Austria. Because his wife was Roman Catholic, Prince Michael forfeited his place in the line of succession under the terms of the Act of Settlement 1701.  When the Succession to The Crown Act 2013 went into effect, eliminating the exclusion of anyone who marries a Roman Catholic, Prince Michael was returned to his place in the line of succession.

 

Prince and Princess Michael of Kent have two children who were raised in the Church of England and are in the line of succession:

 

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“Much Ado About Nothing?” – Pondering Richard III’s DNA

by The Laird o’Thistle
December 4, 2014

The announcement this week that DNA evidence has shown, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the car-park bones from Leicester are those of Richard III is most welcome. But, it was the other news about Richard’s DNA that is garnering the headlines, mostly variations of, “DOUBT CAST ON ROYAL ANCESTRY!”

It appears that Richard III’s male-line descent from the Plantagenets has been disproven. Somewhere in the family line a husband was cuckolded by an adulterous wife (or, an infertile husband found a willing stand-in to father an heir for him). Speculation is rife as to the “who-what-when-where” this break in the royal line occurred. Most of the speculation, however, gets a failing grade in historical research!

A quick and simple look at Wikipedia (no less) indicates that there has been speculation, apparently since the fifteenth century, that the paternal grandfather of Edward IV and Richard III was illegitimate. He was known as Richard of Conisburgh (1375-1415). Richard of Conisburgh was ostensibly the son of Edmund of Langley, Duke of York, the fourth son of King Edward III. (Edmund’s two elder brothers were Lionel, Duke of Clarence, and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, of whom more, anon.) Richard of Conisburgh’s mother was Isabella of Castile. His elder brother was Edward, the second Duke of York in the Plantagenet line. (Edward was the highest ranking English casualty at the battle of Agincourt, dying there in October 1415. He had no children.) Richard of Conisburgh married Anne Mortimer in 1408, and they had two surviving children, a son and a daughter. Their son, Richard (1411-1460), became the third Duke of York after the death of his uncle, and was the father of Edward IV and Richard III. In the summerof 1415 it was discovered that Richard of Conisburgh was part of a plot to assassinate King Henry V, and, after a hasty trial, Conisburgh was executed.

Questions about Richard of Conisburgh’s paternity have existed for years. He received no lands from his “father”, and was not even mentioned in Edmund’s will. It is believed that he may have been the offspring of an adulterous liaison between Isabella of Castile and John Holland, the first Duke of Exeter. Although passed over by his father, Conisburgh was favored by his mother who, in her will, appealed to King Richard II (Conisburgh’s godfather) to grant her son an annuity… which he did. This may be notable because, besides being Richard of Conisburgh’s godfather, Richard II was the maternal half-brother of John Holland. (Holland’s mother was Joan, the “Fair Maid of Kent”, a granddaughter of King Edward I. John Holland was a son of Joan’s first marriage. Her second marriage was to Edward III’s eldest son, Edward the “Black Prince” of Wales. Richard II was the offspring of that second marriage.) After the deposing of Richard II in 1399, Conisburgh “received no favors” from the Lancastrian Henry IV.

So much for Richard of Conisburgh. It seems likely to me that the new DNA discovery will eventually be found (if they can get evidence from the Holland family) to confirm the old speculation. What all the articles that I have seen thus far fail to take into account, however, is that the House of York’s primary claim to the throne – putting them ahead of the Lancastrians – was not based on their male-line descent from Edmund of Langley. It was based on their descent through Richard of Conisburgh’s wife, Anne Mortimer, who was the heiress of Edward II’s second son, Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence. The question of Richard III’s male-line descent… and that of Edward IV… is moot, so long as their father was their father, the son of Anne Mortimer.

Anne Mortimer (1390-1411) was the daughter and eventual heiress of Roger Mortimer, fourth Earl of March, and Eleanor Holland. (Eleanor was a grandniece of John Holland, above.) Roger Mortimer was, in turn the son and primary heir of Philippa of Clarence, the only child of Lionel of Antwerp. Roger Mortimer was widely, though not officially, recognized as the “heir presumptive” to the childless King Richard II. Mortimer, however, was slain in Ireland in 1398, and the family claim was shunted aside by Henry IV’s coup the following year. Mortimer’s elder surviving son and daughters were not well treated by the Lancastrians, and Anne Mortimer was the only one to have issue. Anne’s marriage to Richard of Conisburgh occurred without parental consent, but it was validated by the Pope in 1408. Anne died shortly after the birth of her son Richard, the eventual third Duke of York, in 1411.

Anne Mortimer was the key to the House of York’s claim to the throne, over against the Lancastrians. It was her claim that was being pressed in the Wars of the Roses. It was her claim that passed through her son to King’s Edward IV and Richard III. It was her claim that passed through Edward IV’s daughter, Elizabeth of York, to the Tudors with Elizabeth’s marriage to Henry VII. The question of the male-line descent of Edward IV and Richard III is moot… as is the question being asked by some about legitimacy in the Lancastrian line. While the English laws of succession… until the recent change prior to Prince George’s birth… practiced male primogeniture, they never excluded descent via the female line. England was never a land where the Salic Law (allowing only male-line descent) was recognized. (Ironically, Shakespeare includes a notable discussion of the Salic Law in his Henry V.)

It is fairly safe to assume, then, that despite the sensational headlines of the moment, there is no actual threat to the legitimacy of the British royal line, past or present, in this Richard III news. There may be a newly confirmed anomaly, but the legitimacy of the historic succession is not in question here.

Best wishes to all for a Merry Christmas, and a “Gude New Year” to ane and ‘a!

Yours aye,
Ken Cuthbertson

New study on Richard III’s DNA published

Memorial to King Richard III in the choir of Leicester Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

A study with more details about the DNA testing on King Richard III’s remains was published on December 2, 2014. The study concluded that the remains found under the parking lot are undoubtedly those of Richard III, he apparently had blond hair and blue eyes, and there appears to be some infidelity somewhere in Richard’s maternal line.

Exercise Daily Regular exercise not only restores one’s stamina, but it also adds to the sex life of appalachianmagazine.com generic cialis australia males. Lack of sexual potency and samples viagra cialis poor erection lessens happiness in a relationship, which turns into the acidic state, the quantity of the aggressive, precipitated bile acids in it is increased. This get cialis http://appalachianmagazine.com/category/featured/page/15/?filter_by=random_posts tablet provides a prolonged effect compared to the standard available tablets in the market. In a study, it cheapest viagra tabs has been proven again and again to bring relief to many patients. Here is a link to the actual study published on December 2, 2014, so you can read the information yourself instead of relying on the media reports: Nature Communications: Identification of the remains of King Richard III

Richard III’s remains will be interred on March 26, 2015 at Leicester Cathedral.
BBC, August 7, 2014 : Richard III reinterment date announced

Princess Alexandra, The Honorable Lady Ogilvy

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy

Princess Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel of Kent was born on December 25, 1936, at No. 3 Belgrave Square, her parent’s London home. She is the daughter of Prince George, Duke of Kent (son of King George V) and Princess Marina of Greece. At the time of her birth, she was sixth in the line of succession for the British throne. Through her father, Alexandra is a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, and through her mother, she is a first cousin once removed of The Duke of Edinburgh.

Princess Alexandra was christened in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace on February 9, 1937. Her godparents were:

Alexandra has an elder brother and a younger brother:

  • Marina, Duchess of Kent with her three children, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra and Prince Michael on his first birthday in 1943

    Along with her siblings, Alexandra grew up at Coppins, the family’s country home in Iver in Buckinghamshire, England. In 1942, her father was killed in a plane crash, just weeks after the birth of her younger brother. Alexandra attended Heathfield School, near Ascot, England. She was the first British princess to attend an ordinary school, instead of being taught privately at home. She later studied French and music at a finishing school in Paris and took a nursing course at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, England.

     

    In the late 1950s, Princess Alexandra began to take on royal duties, supporting her cousin, Queen Elizabeth II. She often represented The Queen on trips overseas, including the 1960 independence ceremonies in Nigeria. Alexandra was one of the most active members of the royal family, undertaking well over 120 engagements each year. From 1964 until 2004, she served as Chancellor of Lancaster University.

     

    In November 1962, it was announced that Princess Alexandra had become engaged to The Honorable Angus Ogilvy, second son of David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie and Lady Alexandra Coke, daughter of Thomas Coke, 3rd Earl of Leicester. At the time of the marriage, the 12th Earl of Airlie served as Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. The couple married on April 24, 1963, at Westminster Abbey, and their wedding was televised around the world. Sir Angus died in December 2004.

    They had two children:

    • James Robert Bruce Ogilvy (1964), married Julia Rawlinson, had two children
      • Flora Alexandra Ogilvy (born 1994)
      • Alexander Charles Ogilvy (born 1996)
    • Marina Victoria Alexandra Ogilvy (1966), married and divorced Paul Mowatt, had two children
      • Zenouska May Mowatt (born 1990)
      • Christian Alexander Mowatt (born 1993)

  • The family resided at Thatched House Lodge in Richmond Park in London, England. Despite being offered a grace-and-favor residence by Queen Elizabeth II, the couple instead chose to lease Thatched House Lodge from the Crown. Princess Alexandra continues to live at Thatched House and maintains an apartment at St James’ Palace in London, England

    In April 2013, Buckingham Palace announced that Princess Alexandra was suffering from polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), and had canceled future public appointments indefinitely. She was not seen for much of the year but returned to royal duties later in the year. In recent years, Princess Alexandra has not been seen often. In May 2023, she appeared with other working members of the royal family in photos in the Throne Room and on the Buckingham Palace balcony following the coronation of King Charles III, which she had attended. In February 2024, she was seen using a wheelchair at the thanksgiving service for the late King Constantine II of Greece at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

    The Princess holds several royal appointments:

        • Patron, Alzheimer’s Society
        • Patron, St Christopher’s Hospice
        • Patron, CancerBACUP
        • Patron, MIND
        • Patron, Mental Health Foundation
        • Patron, Cystic Fibrosis Trust
        • Deputy President, British Red Cross Society
        • Patron, Guide Dogs for the Blind Association
        • Patron, Action for Blind People
        • President, Sight Savers International
        • President, Alexandra’s Rose Day
        • Patron, English National Opera
        • Patron, Blackie Foundation Trust
        • Patron, London Philharmonic Choir
        • Patron, Nature in Art Trust
        • Patron, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
        • Patron, Royal Alexandra Hospital for Sick Children
        • Patron, Children and Families Across Borders
        • Patron, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

       

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Katharine, The Duchess of Kent

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

 

Her Royal Highness The  Duchess of Kent, wife of Prince Edward, The Duke of Kent, was born Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley on February 22, 1933, at Hovington Hall in Yorkshire, England, the Worsley family home. She is the daughter of Sir William Arthington Worsley, 4th Baronet and Joyce Morgan Brunner.

Katharine had three older brothers:

Following her education at St Margaret’s School in York, England and Runton Hill School in Norfolk, England, Katharine worked in a children’s home in York and taught in a kindergarten in London. After failing to gain entry into the Royal Academy of Music, she studied at Miss Hubler’s Finishing School in Oxford. From an early age, Katharine had a talent for music and learned to play the piano, organ, and violin.

 

In 1956, Katharine met her future husband, Prince Edward, The Duke of Kent, while he was stationed at Catterick Garrison, near Richmond, England. They married on June 8, 1961, at York Minster in York, England. Her bridesmaids included Princess Anne, and Jane Spencer, the elder sister of Diana, Princess of Wales.

The Duke and Duchess of Kent had three children:

The couple also had a stillborn child born in 1977. The Duchess of Kent suffered severe depression, something which she has spoken about publicly.

The family lived at Coppins, in Buckinghamshire, England until 1972, when they moved to York House at St James’ Palace in London, England. Since 1996, they have lived at Wren House on the grounds of Kensington Palace in London, England. They also have a country house, The Old Forge, in Oxfordshire, England which they purchased in 2002.

In 1994, the Duchess converted to Catholicism, the first senior member of the royal family to convert publicly since the enactment of the Act of Settlement in 1701.  One of her children and several of her grandchildren have also become Catholic.

Some of the organizations the Duchess was associated with include:

  • Patron, Making Music (the National Federation of Music Societies)
  • Trustee, The National Foundation for Youth Music, London
  • President and Board Member, The Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester
  • Ambassador, Aldeburgh Productions, in Suffolk
  • Patron, RUC Benevolent Fund in Northern Ireland
  • President, NCH Action for Children
  • President and Board Member, Macmillan Cancer Research
  • UNICEF
  • VSO (Voluntary Services Overseas)

Venus Williams receives the trophy from the Duchess of Kent as the Duke of Kent looks on after  winning the Women’s Singles Final of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships in 2001

The Duchess of Kent was known for presenting the women’s singles trophies at the annual Wimbledon Championships from the 1970s to 2001. With her warm-hearted and informal demeanor, such as her comforting hug to Jana Novotná on Center Court, who had lost to Steffi Graf in 1993,  the Duchess won many admirers. After the 2001 Wimbledon Championships, the Duchess gave up her official role at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships as part of her withdrawal from public life.

In 2002, she reduced 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. She also purchased an apartment in Notting Hill where she taught music lessons. She supported organizations relating to music and music education. In 2004, she co-founded Future Talent, a children’s music charity established to find, fund, and nurture talented musicians in the United Kingdom.

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 2023 coronation of King Charles III although her husband did attend all three.

The Duke and Duchess of Kent attend a service for the national minute of silence and mosaic unveiling at the base of Grenfell Tower as part of commemorations on the one-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire in west London, 2018

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Prince Edward, Duke of Kent

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

The Duke of Kent at the National Service Of Remembrance in 2020

Prince Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick of Kent was born on October 9, 1935, at No. 3 Belgrave Square, his parents’ London residence. He is the eldest child of Prince George, Duke of Kent (a son of King George V, and younger brother of Kings Edward VIII and George VI), and Princess Marina of Greece. Through his father, he is a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, and through his mother, he is a first cousin once removed of Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh.

Prince Edward was christened in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace in London, England on November 20, 1935. His godparents were:

 

Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Coppins, in Buckinghamshire, England which his father inherited from Princess Victoria of Wales, a daughter of King Edward VII.  Edward has two younger siblings:

Prince George, Duke of Kent, was killed in a plane crash on August 25, 1942. At just six years old, Prince Edward succeeded his father as Duke of Kent, Earl of St. Andrews, and Baron Downpatrick.

Edward attended Ludgrove School and Eton College in England, and Le Rosey in Switzerland. He then entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, graduating in July 1955, commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Scots Greys. He went on to serve in the British Army for 21 years. In 1976, the Duke retired from active service, having reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was later made Honorary Major General in 1983, and Honorary Air Marshal in 1993.

 

In 1956, while stationed at Catterick Garrison, near Richmond, England, Edward met his future wife Katharine Worsley, the daughter of Sir William Arthington Worsley, 4th Baronet, and Joyce Morgan Brunner. The couple was married on June 8, 1961, at York Minster in York, England.

The Duke and Duchess of Kent had three children:

The Duke and Duchess of Kent in 2013; Credit – Wikipedia

The family lived at Coppins until 1972, when they moved to York House at St James’ Palace in London, England. They remained at York House until 1996, taking up residence at Wren House, on the grounds of Kensington Palace in London, England. They also own a country home, The Old Forge, in Brightwell Baldwin, Oxfordshire, England which they purchased in 2002.  Prior to that, they leased Anmer Hall on the Queen’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk England from 1972-1990, and from 1989-1996 owned Crocker End House in Nettlebed, Oxfordshire, England.

After retiring from the Army, the Duke of Kent served as Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, promoting the United Kingdom and British businesses both within the UK and abroad. He stepped down In 2001, after 25 years.

The Duke of Kent has been an active member of the Royal Family and represented his first cousin Queen Elizabeth II at events in the United Kingdom around the world. As he aged, his engagements became more limited.

The Duke of Kent holds several royal appointments:

  • Colonel of the Scots Guards
  • Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
  • Colonel-in-Chief of the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment
  • Royal Colonel, 1st Battalion, The Rifles
  • Colonel-in-Chief of the Lorne Scots Regiment in Canada
  • Deputy Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
  • Honorary Air Chief Marshall (RAF)
  • Honorary Air Commodore, RAF Leuchars

In addition, he is the patron of numerous organizations. He is probably most recognized for his role as President of The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, serving from 1969 – 2021, a position to which he succeeded upon his mother’s death in 1968. In this role, he presented the champion’s trophies at Wimbledon each year.

 

Some of The Duke of Kent’s other organizations and patronages:

  • President, The Scout Association (since 1975)
  • President, Commonwealth War Graves Commission
  • RAF Benevolent Fund
  • Royal National Lifeboat Institution
  • The Stroke Association
  • The Royal Institution
  • Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI)

The Duke is a Royal Knight of the Order of the Garter, Grand Master of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, and was Personal Aide-de-Camp to his first cousin Queen Elizabeth II. He has been a Freemason since 1963, and since 1967 has served as Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England, the governing body of Freemasonry in England and Wales. He also serves as Chancellor of the University of Surrey.

Despite a minor stroke in March 2013, the Duke made a very quick recovery and returned to his official duties just a few weeks later.

 

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December 1914: Royalty and World War I

by Susan Flantzer

Maximilian, Graf von Spee, Vice Admiral of the Imperial German Navy
Timeline: December 1, 1914 – December 31, 1914
A Note About German Titles
December 1914 – Royals Who Died In Action


Maximilian, Graf von Spee, Vice Admiral of the Imperial German Navy

Maximilian, Graf von Spee; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

On December 8, 1914, the British Royal Navy won a decisive victory over the Imperial German Navy in the Battle of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. The British lost only ten men, but the Germans lost 1,871 men when four of their ships were sunk. Among those killed was the commander of the Imperial German Navy during the battle, Maximilian, Graf von Spee and his two sons Otto and Heinrich.

The Spee family was an old noble family from the German Rhineland, sometimes called Rhenish. Maximilian, Graf von Spee was born in Copenhagen, Denmark on July 22, 1861. He joined the Imperial German Navy when he was 17 years old. By the time he was 26 years old, he was commanding ports in the German Cameron, a German colony in West Africa. In 1899, while serving as first officer on the battleship SMS Brandenburg, von Spee participated in the Boxer Rebellion in China.  In 1912, he became the commander of the German East Asia Squadron operating out of Tsingtao, China and was given the rank of Vice Admiral.

Early in World War I, Graf von Spee was the commander in German victories in the Battle of Papeete in French Polynesia and the Battle of Coronel in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Coronel, Chile. During the Battle of the Falkland Islands, von Spee’s flagship the SMS Scharnhorst, together with the SMS Gneisenau, the SMS Nürnberg, and the SMS Leipzig were all sunk. 1,871 men died including von Spee and his two sons, Lt. Otto von Spee, who served aboard the Nürnberg, and Lt. Heinrich von Spee who served on the Gneisenau.

Memorial for Vice Admiral Maximilian, Graf von Spee and his sons in Kiel, Germany; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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Timeline: December 1, 1914 – December 31, 1914

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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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December 1914 – 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 from The Peerage.  If a person has a Wikipedia page, their name will be linked to that page.

Otto Aribert, Graf von Westarp

Maximilian, Graf von Spee

  • son of Rudolf, Graf von Spee and Fernanda Tutein
  • born June 22, 1861 in Copenhagen, Denmark
  • married Margareta, Freiin von der Osten-Sacken, had issue (two sons, below, who died with him and one daughter)
  • killed in action aboard the SMS Scharnhorst in the South Atlantic Ocean near the Falkland Islands, age 53

Otto, Graf von Spee

Heinrich, Graf von Spee

Wilhelm, Graf von Redern

Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Credit – By The National Churches Trust – Luke March, HRH The Duke of Gloucester, Pippa Jacob, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78033822

Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester was born at Hadley Common in Hertfordshire, England on August 26, 1944.  He was the second of the two sons of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and his wife Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott, daughter of John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch,  and one of the nine grandchildren of King George V of the United Kingdom.

The prince’s christening took place at the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle on October 20, 1944. The location of the christening was not announced at the time due to security concerns because of World War II. The names given to the royal baby were Richard Alexander Walter George, three of the names after his three godfathers, and his godparents were:

Prince Richard had one elder brother, Prince William of Gloucester who was killed in an airplane accident at an airshow in 1972 (scroll down).  At that time, Prince Richard became the heir to his father’s titles.

Richard started his education at home. He then attended Wellesley House School in Broadstairs, Kent, England, and Eton College in Eton, Berkshire, England. In 1963, Richard began studying architecture at Magdalene College, Cambridge University where he received a Diploma of Architecture. He was a partner in a London architecture firm and planned to make it his career. However, upon his brother’s death in 1972, when Richard became his father’s heir, he took on increased royal duties and the responsibility for the family estate, so he resigned from his partnership.

First row, seated: Princess Alice of Albany; Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester; The Queen Mother; Vivian van Deurs Second row, standing: Prince Michael of Kent; Princess Margaret; The Prince of Wales; Prince Richard of Gloucester; Birgitte van Deurs; Prince William of Gloucester; two members of Birgitte’s family; Asger Henriksen; Photo Credit – orderofsplendor.blogspot.com

While studying at Cambridge University, Richard met his future wife, the Danish-born Birgitte Eva Henriksen, who was attending the Bell School of Languages in Cambridge, England. Birgitte and Prince Richard became engaged in February 1972 and were married on July 8, 1972, at St. Andrew’s Church in Barnwell, Northamptonshire, England nearby the Gloucester family home Barnwell Manor.  Prince Richard’s father was unable to attend the wedding. Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester had suffered his first stroke in 1965 and subsequent strokes required him to use a wheelchair and rendered him unable to speak for his remaining years.

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester had three children, all married with their own children:

 

On June 10, 1974, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester died and Prince Richard succeeded his father as Duke of Gloucester. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester’s official residence is at Kensington Palace in London. In 2019, they moved from the large Apartment 1 to the Old Stables, a smaller residence that is also located within the Kensington Palace grounds. They have leased out their private home Barnwell Manor in Northamptonshire, England since 1994.

The Duke of Gloucester in his robes as the Grand Prior of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem; Credit – Wikipedia

In support of his cousin Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Gloucester carried out a significant number of public duties and official engagements in the United Kingdom and overseas, and will continue to do so for his first cousin once removed King Charles III. He is associated with over 150 charities and organizations.  Some of the charities and organizations the Duke of Gloucester is associated with include:

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David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon; Credit – Wikipedia

David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon was born on November 3, 1961, at Clarence House in London, England. He was the first child and only son of Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom and Antony Armstrong-Jones, and one of the six grandchildren of King George VI of the United Kingdom.

 

The month before David was born, his father was created Earl of Snowdon and Viscount Linley due to concerns that a British princess would give birth to a child without a title. The heir of a British peer is allowed to use the second title of the noble parent as a courtesy title, so David was styled Viscount Linley and became the 2nd Earl of Snowdon upon his father’s death on January 13, 2017. Professionally, he is known as David Linley. On December 19, 1961, David was christened in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Michael Ramsey. His godparents were Lady Bruce Dundas, Nigel Harvey, Nick Powell, Orlando Rock, Lucinda Cecil, and Rita Konig.

 

David has one sibling:

When he was five years old, David began his education in the schoolroom at Buckingham Palace with his first cousin Prince Andrew.  David then attended the Gibbs School in Kensington, London, England, and the Ashdown House School in East Sussex, England. Next, he attended the now-closed Millbrook House School, near Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England. David finished his secondary education at Bedales School in Steep, Hampshire, England where he developed an interest in arts and crafts.

From 1980-1982, David studied the craft of woodworking at Parnham College in Beaminster, Dorset, England. In 1976, furniture maker John Makepeace bought Parnham House and founded the Parnham Trust and the School for Craftsmen in Wood. It later became Parnham College with the goal “to provide integrated courses in design, making and management for aspiring furniture makers, alongside but separately from his own furniture workshops.” In 2000, the school moved to a new campus in Hooke Park, England, and is now known as the Architectural Association School of Architecture.

LINLEY store on Pimlico Road in London

David Linley has had a career as a furniture designer and maker and set up his own company LINLEY in 1985. From his company’s website: “I was lucky enough to grow up surrounded by beautiful things. Instead of taking these for granted, I wanted to find out more about the making process, whether a vase, a car, a sculpture or indeed a piece of furniture. When I was a small boy, my grandmother challenged me to find a secret drawer in a bureau that she treasured. I still remember the exhilaration when I eventually found it. I couldn’t understand how it was possible to conceal something so cleverly, so resolved to find out how. This was really when my interest in woodworking began.”

David does not have an official role, but he does take part in Royal Family events, such as Trooping the Color. In 2002, while his grandmother Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was lying in state at Westminster Hall, David, along with his first cousins The Prince of Wales, The Duke of York, and The Earl of Wessex, stood guard around their grandmother’s coffin.

 

David married The Honorable Serena Stanhope, a daughter of Viscount Petersham (now the 12th Earl of Harrington) at St. Margaret’s Church in Westminster, London, England on October 8, 1993. On February 17, 2020, David and Serena announced that they intend to divorce. A spokesperson for the couple said: “The Earl and Countess of Snowdon have amicably agreed that their marriage has come to an end and that they shall be divorced. They ask that the press respect their privacy and that of their family.”

The couple has two children:

In 2012, David’s son Charles was appointed to be the First Page of Honor of his great-aunt, Queen Elizabeth II. This is a ceremonial position granted to teenage sons of the nobility and requires attendance on state occasions when the pages usually carry the long train of the Sovereign’s attire.

Charles Armstrong Jones_Page

The Honorable Charles Patrick Armstrong-Jones (back right) at the State Opening of Parliament in 2013; Photo Credit – www.dailymail.co.uk. (PA)

David’s daughter Lady Margarita Elizabeth Rose Alleyne Armstrong-Jones was born shortly after the deaths of her grandmother Princess Margaret (whose middle name was Rose) and her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and was named after them. She was also a bridesmaid at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones on the right

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Princess Christina, Mrs Magnuson

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Christina, Mrs Magnuson – photo: Wikipedia

Princess Christina, Mrs Magnuson

Princess Christina Louise Helena of Sweden was born at Haga Palace in Solna Municipality, Stockholm, Sweden on August 3, 1943. She is the youngest of four daughters, known as The Haga Princesses, of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Christina is the fourth of the four elder sisters of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

Christina has four siblings:

Christina is the only one of her siblings who pursued higher education. Following her early education privately at home, she attended the École Française, in Stockholm, graduating in 1963. She then attended Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Stockholm University.

 

Princess Christina married Tord Magnuson on June 15, 1974, in the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. Like her sisters Margaretha and Désirée, she lost her royal style and title, becoming Her Excellency Princess Christina, Mrs Magnuson. The style of ‘Her Excellency’ comes from having been created a Knight of the Danish Order of the Elephant in 1973.

The couple had three sons:

  • Gustaf Magnuson (born 1975), married Vicky Andrén, had one daughter
  • Oscar Magnuson (1977), married Emma Ledent, had one son
  • Victor Magnuson (1980), married Frida Bergström, had two sons

In the early years of her brother’s reign, before his marriage to Queen Silvia, Christina often served as ‘first lady’ as she was the only one of the Swedish princesses living in Sweden. She is one of the godparents of her niece Princess Madeleine.

Princess Christina has remained the most visible of the King’s sisters, typically attending the Nobel Prize ceremonies each year, and occasionally undertaking official engagements. She served as Chairperson of the Swedish Red Cross from 1993-2002.

In late 2010, Princess Christina revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer earlier in the year, and had undergone several operations along with radiation and chemotherapy treatment.  In October 2016, it was announced that Princess Christina had been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia which progresses slowly and mostly affects people over the age of 60.  After initial treatment failed, the Princess received a stem cell transplant in 2017 which was successful.

In August 2018, in conjunction with her 75th birthday, Princess Christina announced that she is retiring from her royal duties.  Realizing that “life is not infinite”, she plans to enjoy her retirement with her husband and family.

 

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