Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife, Princess Arthur of Connaught

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexandra Victoria Alberta Edwina Louise was born on May 17, 1891, at East Sheen Lodge in Richmond, London, England. She was the eldest surviving child of Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife, and a grandchild of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom.  As a female-line great-granddaughter of the British sovereign, (Queen Victoria), Alexandra was not entitled to the title of Princess or the style Royal Highness. Instead, she was styled Lady Alexandra Duff, the style of daughters of a Duke.  Through their father, Alexandra and her sister Maud were descendants of King William IV of the United Kingdom, who had no legitimate children but had ten illegitimate children with actress Dorothea Jordan.

Alexandra had one sister:

Alexandra on the right with her mother and sister; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1900, when it became apparent that the Duke and Duchess of Fife were unlikely to have a son to inherit the title, Queen Victoria issued the Duke of Fife a new Letters Patent as Duke of Fife and Earl of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. This Letters Patent gave the second dukedom of Fife a special remainder that allowed the dukedom to pass to the daughters of the 1st Duke of Fife, if he had no son, and then to the male heirs of his daughters. Therefore, Alexandra became heir to her father’s dukedom.

Alexandra’s mother was the eldest daughter of King Edward VII and was created Princess Royal in 1905, during her father’s reign.  At the same time, Alexandra and Maud were granted the title of Princess with the style of “Highness” and received precedence immediately after all members of the royal family bearing the style of “Royal Highness.” This act was unprecedented, and when the College of Arms told King Edward VII it could not be done, the King simply said, “Do it!” Alexandra and Maud’s maternal uncle, the future King George V, was greatly disturbed by this act.

Prince Arthur of Connaught and Princess Alexandra on their wedding day; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 15, 1913, at the Chapel Royal of St. James’ Palace in London, England, Alexandra married her first cousin once removed, Prince Arthur of Connaught, the only son of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, a son of Queen Victoria. Because Alexandra’s father had died the year before, King George V, her uncle, gave her away. After her marriage, Alexandra was styled Her Royal Highness Princess Arthur of Connaught, Duchess of Fife.

Alexandra and Arthur with their son Alastair in 1920; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexandra and Arthur had one son, Alastair Arthur, born on August 9, 1914, at his parents’ home at 54 Mount Street, in Mayfair, London, England. As a great-grandchild of Queen Victoria through the male line, Alastair was styled His Highness Prince Alastair of Connaught until he was three years old.  At that time, King George V restricted the titles of Prince/Princess and the style of Royal Highness to the children of the sovereign, the children of the sovereign’s sons, and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales. Alastair was then styled Alastair Windsor with the courtesy title Earl of Macduff, his mother’s secondary title.

Alexandra at a women’s exhibition in 1915; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexandra and her husband carried out engagements on behalf of King George V and King George VI. During World War I, Alexandra served as a nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, England. From 1920 to 1924, Prince Arthur served as Governor-General of South Africa, and Alexandra accompanied him there. When the couple returned to the United Kingdom, they continued their royal duties.

Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 12, 1938, Prince Arthur died of stomach cancer at the age of 55. He was buried at the Royal Burial Ground in Frogmore, Windsor, England. As Prince Arthur predeceased his father, The Duke of Connaught, Arthur’s son Alastair became heir to the dukedom. In 1942, upon the death of his paternal grandfather Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, Alastair succeeded him as the 2nd Duke of Connaught. On April 26, 1943, while on active duty with the British Army in Ottawa, Canada, the 28-year-old Alastair fell asleep or passed out in front of an open window while inebriated, fell out the window, and died of hypothermia during the night. On his death, his titles became extinct.

Alexandra died at her home in London on February 26, 1959, at the age of 67. She is buried in the private chapel in the mausoleum of Mar Lodge in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where her parents are buried. Alexandra’s nephew, James Carnegie, the only child of her sister Maud, succeeded her as the 3rd Duke of Fife.

Alexandra’s grave; Credit – Wikipedia

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Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife, was the husband of Princess Louise, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. Alexander William George Duff was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on November 10, 1849. He was the only son of James Duff, 5th Earl Fife and Lady Agnes Hay, daughter of William Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll and Lady Elizabeth FitzClarence, one of the ten children of King William IV and his mistress Dorothea Jordan. When Duff’s father became 5th Earl Fife in 1857, he was able to use the courtesy title Viscount Macduff, and Macduff became his nickname. Duff was educated at Eton College.

Duff had five sisters:

  • Lady Anne Duff (1847 – 1925), married John Townshend, 5th Marquess Townshend, had issue
  • Lady Ida Duff (died 1918), married (1) Adrian Hope, had issue (2)  William Wilson, no issue
  • Lady Alexina Duff (1851 – 1882), married Henry Coventry, no issue
  • Lady Agnes Duff (1852 – 1925), married (1) George Hay-Drummond, no issue  (2) Herbert Flower, no issue (3)  Alfred Cooper, had issue; David Cameron, the former British prime minister, is a descendant of this third marriage
  • Lady Mary Duff (born and died 1854)

In 1874, Duff was elected to Parliament as a Liberal Party member for the Scottish constituency Elginshire and Nairnshire. He remained in Parliament until his father’s death in 1879 when he became the 6th Earl Fife and then had a seat in the House of Lords. In the House of Lords, Duff served as the Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms.  He was
Lord-Lieutenant of Elginshire from 1872 – 1902 and one of the founders of the Chartered Company of South Africa.

On July 27, 1889, in the Private Chapel of Buckingham Palace, Duff married Princess Louise, eldest daughter of the then Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII). Louise and Alexander were third cousins via their mutual descent from King George III. Alexander’s descent was via the future King William IV’s long-time relationship with actress Dorothea Jordan by whom he had ten children who married into the British aristocracy. As with the marriage of Princess Louise’s aunt, another Princess Louise who married the 9th Duke of Argyll, there were grumblings about a member of the royal family marrying into the British aristocracy. However, Queen Victoria approved of the marriage. Two days after the wedding, Queen Victoria created the groom Duke of Fife and Marquess of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.  Despite the seventeen-year age difference, the couple was well-matched and settled down to a life of country pursuits with the Duke managing his Scottish estates and Louise becoming an expert at salmon fishing.

Photo Credit – Alexander William George Duff, 1st Duke of Fife; Princess Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar, Duchess of Fife by William Downey, for W. & D. Downey. albumen cabinet card, 27 July 1889, NPG x3805. © National Portrait Gallery, London

The couple had three children:

Duke and Duchess of Fife with their daughters; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1900, when it became apparent that the Duke and Duchess of Fife were unlikely to have a son to inherit the title, Queen Victoria issued the Duke of Fife a new Letters Patent as Duke of Fife and Earl of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. This Letters Patent gave the second dukedom of Fife a special remainder that allowed the dukedom to pass to the daughters of the 1st Duke of Fife if he had no son, and then to the male heirs of his daughters.

In December 1911, the Duke and Duchess of Fife and their two daughters set off to spend the winter in Egypt and Sudan where the climate was more beneficial to Louise’s health. Their ship went aground near Morocco and then their lifeboat sank. The family was rescued, but the Duke of Fife later developed pneumonia and died in Aswan, Egypt on January 29, 1912. The Duke of Fife was buried at the Private Chapel, Mar Lodge Mausoleum in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Duff grave

Grave of the Duke of Fife; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

The Duke’s elder daughter Alexandra succeeded to the 1900 Dukedom, becoming the 2nd Duchess of Fife and Countess of Macduff in her own right. Her father’s other titles, including the 1889 Dukedom, became extinct. Alexandra’s only son predeceased her, so upon her death, Maud’s son James Carnegie became the 3rd Duke of Fife.

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Princess Christina of the Netherlands

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

photo: Dutch Royal House, © RVD

Princess Christina of the Netherlands – photo: Dutch Royal House, © RVD

Princess Maria Christina of the Netherlands (nicknamed Marijke) was born February 18, 1947, at Soestijk Palace in Baarn, the Netherlands, the youngest of four daughters of the future Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. Her mother had contracted German measles while pregnant with Christina, resulting in her being born nearly blind. Fortunately, she was able to gain some sight and was able to live a relatively normal life. As a teenager, she chose to be known simply by her middle name, Christina.

Christina had three older sisters:

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Princess Christina being held by her sister Princess Irene with her godfather Winston Churchill and her mother Queen Juliana

Christina was christened on October 9, 1947, at the St. Martin’s Cathedral in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Her godparents were:

Following her primary education, she attended the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and then in 1968 traveled to Canada where she studied classical music in Montreal. A few years later, she moved to New York City, taking a position teaching music in a Montessori school.

While in New York she met her future husband, Jorge Pérez y Guillermo. Once again religious differences came into play with a Dutch royal marriage. Guillermo was Catholic, and many people still remembered the recent marriage of Christina’s elder sister Irene and the scandal it caused. Despite this, the couple was engaged in February 1975.

 

The couple married on June 28, 1975, in a civil ceremony held in Baarn, the Netherlands followed by a religious ceremony at the St. Martin’s Cathedral in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Because she had not received the government’s consent, Princess Christina relinquished her rights to the Dutch throne for herself and her descendants and her position as a member of The Royal House. The couple settled in New York for several years before returning to the Netherlands. They built Villa Eikenhorst, on the De Horsten estate in Wassenaar, and had three children:

    • Bernardo Federico Tomas Guillermo (born 1977), married Eva Prinz-Valdes, had one son and one daughter
    • Nicolás Daniel Mauricio Guillermo  (born 1979), has two children with Leah-Michelle Pilon
    • Juliana Edina Antonia Guillermo (born 1981), has three children with Tao Bodhi

 

Christina and her husband divorced in 1996, and she moved with her children to New York. She later lived in Rome and had a home in The Hague in the Netherlands.  Her marital home, Villa Eikenhorst, later became the home of the future King Willem-Alexander and his family.

Princess Christina was an accomplished musician, recorded several CDs, and sang at several family events, including the funeral of her mother Queen Juliana. She founded a music foundation in her name and was the chairperson of the Princess Christina Competition, a music competition for young people.

In June 2018 it was announced that Princess Christina was suffering from bone cancer.  Princess Christina died at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands on August 16, 2019, at the age of 72 from bone cancer. Princess Christina’s remains were taken to Fagel’s Garden Pavilion on the grounds of Noordeinde Palace, where close friends and family paid their last respects. The cremation was held in private.

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Princess Christina’s coffin at Fagel’s Garden Pavilion on the grounds of Noordeinde Palace

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Princess Margriet of the Netherlands

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

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Princess Margriet of the Netherlands

Princess Margriet of the Netherlands (Margriet Francisca) is the third daughter of  Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She is a younger sister of the former Queen Beatrix, and therefore an aunt of the current King Willem-Alexander. She was born on January 19, 1943, at the Ottawa Civic Hospital in Ottawa, Canada. At the time of her birth, she was fourth in line for the Dutch throne. Today, she is eighth, and last, in line. She is the only one of King Willem-Alexander’s aunts who remains a member of the Dutch Royal House. Margriet was named for the marguerite, the flower which symbolized the resistance to Nazi Germany.

Margriet has three sisters:

 

At the time of Margriet’s birth, her family was living in Canada, having fled the Netherlands in 1940 during the German invasion. As Canadian law grants Canadian citizenship to anyone born on Canadian soil, the government temporarily declared the maternity ward to be extraterritorial, meaning it became an international territory. Therefore, Margriet’s birth followed Dutch law, in which citizenship passes from the parents, and she was born solely with Dutch citizenship. She was christened at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Ottawa, Canada on June 29, 1943. Her godparents included:

After the war, the Dutch royal family sent 10,000 tulip bulbs to the city of Ottawa, as a gesture of thanks for the city’s generosity during the time Juliana and her children were living there, as well as for Canada’s role in the liberation of the Netherlands. The following year, Juliana also sent an additional 20,500 bulbs, requesting that they be planted on the grounds of the hospital where Margriet was born. In addition, Juliana promised to send an additional 10,000 bulbs each year. This led to the creation of the Canadian Tulip Festival in the early 1950s. In 2002, Princess Margriet was the guest of honor at the Festival’s 50th anniversary.

 

Margriet was two years old when the family returned to the Netherlands after the war. She attended De Werkplaats school in Bilthoven, and the Nieuwe Baarnse School in Baarn, and then completed her secondary schooling at the Baarns Lyceum, graduating in 1961. Margriet then attended the University of Montpellier in France – studying French literature, history, and art – and Leiden University, where she studied law. She also trained with the Netherlands Red Cross as a nurse auxiliary.

photo: Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor

While at Leiden University, Princess Margriet met her future husband, Pieter van Vollenhoven. They became engaged in March 1965, and nearly two years later, on January 10, 1967, they married. A civil ceremony was held in the town hall in The Hague, followed by a religious ceremony at the Grote of Sint-Jacobskerk. They took up residence in a wing of Het Loo Palace, and later moved to Huis Het Loo (link in Dutch), a house they had built on the grounds of the palace. It was decided at the time of their marriage that any children would hold the title of Prince/Princess of Orange-Nassau, with the surname van Vollenhoven, and the style of Highness. They have four sons:

Princess Margriet holds a prominent role in the Dutch Royal Family. Unlike her sisters Irene and Christina, she retained her place in the Dutch Royal House. In addition to many official duties, she often represents the royal family at royal events around the world and is usually in attendance at formal events, such as incoming state visits.

 

Since the mid-1960s, she has been very involved with the Red Cross, both in the Netherlands, and the international organization. She served for many years as Vice-President of the Netherlands Red Cross, chaired the Standing Commission for the International Red Cross, and served as a member of the governing board of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. She continues to serve as Honorary Chair of the Netherlands Red Cross. She also served as President of the European Cultural Foundation from 1984-2007, succeeded by Princess Laurentien, the wife of her nephew Prince Constantijn.

Princess Margriet is involved in a larger number of other organizations, including:

  • Patron, National Union of Volunteers
  • Patron, Equestrian Federation for the Disabled
  • Patron, National Rehabilitation Fund
  • Patron, Society of Friends of the Band of the Royal Marines
  • Patron, Netherland-America Foundation
  • Patron, Introdans Modern Ballet Company
  • Patron, Vision 2020 Netherlands
  • Patron, KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation
  • Honorary Chair, The De Lijn Society
  • Member, Honorary Board of the International Paralympic Committee
  • Member, Ronald McDonald House Advisory Committee

 

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Princess Irene of the Netherlands

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

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Princess Irene of the Netherlands

Princess Irene of the Netherlands (Irene Emma Elisabeth) was born on August 5, 1939, at Soestdijk Palace, in Baarn, the Netherlands. She was the second of four daughters of the future Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. At the time of her birth, she was third in the line of succession for the Dutch throne.

Irene has an older sister and two younger sisters:

In May 1940, during the German invasion of the Netherlands, the family was evacuated to the United Kingdom, where Irene was christened in the chapel at Buckingham Palace. Queen Elizabeth (later The Queen Mother) served as one of her godparents. Just weeks later, the family sailed for Canada. They settled at Stornoway, a private residence in Rockcliffe Park, a suburb of Ottawa, where they would remain until the end of the war. Here, Princess Irene attended Rockcliffe Park Public School along with her older sister, Princess Beatrix. The Royal Dutch Brigade – a group of Dutch soldiers who formed to fight alongside the Allies was given the name ‘Regiment Princes Irene’ by her grandmother, Queen Wilhelmina. Eventually, that group became the Garderegiment Fuseliers Prinses Irene and Princess Irene continues to serve as Ceremonial Chief.

 

The family returned to the Netherlands in August 1945. Irene attended school at The Children’s Community Workshop (Werkplaats Kindergemeenschap) and the Baarnsch Lyceum, graduating in 1957. She then studied at the University of Lausanne, in Switzerland, and the University of Utrecht, in the Netherlands, studying literature and languages – particularly Spanish. She later qualified as a Spanish interpreter.

Following university, Irene moved to Madrid to further absorb the Spanish language and culture. It was here that she met her future husband, Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma. Needless to say, the relationship was not without controversy. Irene secretly converted to Catholicism in 1963, which caused quite a stir in the Netherlands when it was made public. Then, the couple announced their engagement. Her mother Queen Juliana tried to have the engagement canceled, but the couple was determined to wed. Irene and Carlos returned to the Netherlands on February 9, 1964, and immediately began to meet with the Royal Family and the Dutch Government. It was finally announced that the wedding would take place and that Princess Irene would cease to be a member of the Dutch Royal House, and would relinquish all rights to the throne for herself and her descendants.

 

On April 29, 1964, Irene and Carlos married in the Borghese Chapel at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, in Rome, Italy. No members of the Dutch royal family attended. Following their honeymoon, they settled in Madrid, Spain. Before divorcing in 1981, the couple had four children, including twins Margarita and Jaime:

In 1980, Irene and her children returned to live in the Netherlands. Always interested in nature and its preservation, Irene published her first book, Dialogue With Nature, in 1995. A few years later, she established the Bergplaas Nature Reserve in Nieu-Bethesda, South Africa.  She also established NatureWise, an organization that connects elementary students to nature, and founded the Lippe-Biesterfeld Nature College Foundation in 2001. Princess Irene prefers to be known simply as Irene van Lippe-Biesterfeld and rarely particiaptes in any official events in the Netherlands.  However, she is almost always seen at family functions and maintains a very close relationship with her sisters and extended family.

 

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Infanta Margarita of Spain, Duchess of Soria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

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Infanta Margarita of Spain, Duchess of Soria, 2nd Duchess of Hernani (Margarita María de la Victoria Esperanza Jacoba Felicidad Perpetua y Todos los Santos de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias) was born in Rome, Italy on March 6, 1939, the third of the four children of Infante Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona and his wife Princess María Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.  Infanta Margarita has been blind since her birth.

Margarita has three siblings:

 

Because the Spanish monarchy was in exile after the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed and the exile continued after Generalísimo Francisco Franco took power, Margarita spent much of her early life in exile. The family first lived in Cannes, France, and then moved to Rome, Italy. During World War II, the family lived in Lausanne, Switzerland.  In 1946, they settled Estoril, Portugal.

On October 12, 1972, Infanta Margarita married Carlos Zurita y Delgado, a medical doctor, at the Church of San Antonio in Estoril, Portugal, and renounced her succession rights. The couple had two children:

  • Alfonso Juan Carlos Zurita y de Borbón (born 1973), unmarried
  • María Sofía Emilia Carmen Zurita y de Borbón (born 1975), unmarried, mother of a son by artificial insemination

In 1979, when Margarita’s cousin, Manfredo de Borbón, 1st Duke of Hernani died, he willed his ducal title to Margarita. King Juan Carlos granted this request and she became 2nd Duchess of Hernani.  In 1981, King Juan Carlos granted her a higher dukedom for life and she became Duchess of Soria.  Her husband is styled His Excellency The Duke of Soria and Hernani.

Despite her disability, Infanta Margarita is an active woman who loves to be with her family and friends. She is an avid music lover and listens to everything from classical music to heavy metal music. In 1989, with her husband, Infanta Margarita created the Fundación Cultural Duques de Soria (The Duke and Duchess of Soria Cultural Foundation) based in the former Convent of Mercy in Soria, Spain. Margarita is also the honorary president of the Spanish delegation of UNICEF, the Fundación ONCE, the Spanish Heart Foundation, and the Spanish Federation of Hemophilia.

Carlos Zurita, Princess Margarita and Princess Pilar in 2014

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Infanta Pilar of Spain, Duchess of Badajoz

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Infanta Pilar of Spain, Duchess of BadajozCredit – Wikipedia

Infanta Pilar of Spain, Duchess of Badajoz was born on July 30, 1936, in Cannes, France. Her full name is María del Pilar Alfonsa Juana Victoria Luisa Ignacia y Todos los Santos de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias. She was the eldest of the four children of Infante Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona and his wife Princess María Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.  Infanta Pilar’s paternal grandparents were King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Infanta Pilar had three younger siblings:

Because the Spanish monarchy was in exile after the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed and the exile continued after Generalísimo Francisco Franco took power, Pilar spent much of her early life in exile. The family first lived in Cannes, France, and then moved to Rome, Italy. During World War II, the family lived in Lausanne, Switzerland.  In 1946, they settled in Estoril, Portugal. She was styled as Her Royal Highness Infanta Pilar from birth and in 1967 Generalísimo Franco gave her permission to use the style in Spain.

On May 5, 1967, Infanta Pilar married Luis Gomez-Acebo y de Estrada, Viscount de la Torre, at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, Portugal. The couple had met at the home of former Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria whose wife Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela, was a cousin of Luis. The marriage was controversial because Luis was not royal and Pilar had to renounce her rights of succession to the Spanish throne. Shortly after the marriage, Pilar was created Duchess of Badajoz. Luis died of lymphatic cancer in 1991. Infanta Pilar and her husband had five children:

  • Simoneta Gómez-Acebo y de Borbón (born 1968), married and divorced José Miguel Fernández-Sastrón, had two sons and one daughter
  • Juan Gómez-Acebo y de Borbón (born 1969), married Winston Holmes Carney, had one son, a separation was announced in May 2019
  • Bruno Gómez-Acebo y de Borbón (born 1971), married Bárbara Cano y de la Plaza, had three sons
  • Luis Gómez-Acebo y de Borbón (born 1973), married (1) and divorced Laura Ponte y Martínez, had one son and one daughter, divorced  (2) Andrea Pascual Vicens, had one son
  • Fernando Gómez-Acebo y de Borbón (1974 – 2024), married Mónica Martín Luque, no children, divorced  (2) Nadia Halamandari, had one son, divorced

 

Infanta Pilar was President of the International Equestrian Federation from 1994 – 2005. She was a member of the International Olympic Committee from 1996 to 2006 and was then an Honorary member. She was also a member of the executive board of the Spanish Olympic Committee. In addition, Infanta Pilar was President of Europa Nostra, from 2007-2009. Infanta Pilar was fluent in English, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Infanta Pilar died at the Ruber International Hospital in Madrid, Spain on January 8, 2020, at the age of 83. She had been ill with colon cancer, had surgery in February 2019, and had undergone chemotherapy. Infanta Pilar was admitted to the hospital three days before her death. Her remains were cremated on January 9, 2020, and her ashes were placed in her husband’s family mausoleum beside her husband at the Saint Isidore Cemetery in Madrid, Spain.

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Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward was born on January 8, 1864, at Frogmore House near Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. the eldest child of the then Prince and Princess of Wales, the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Queen Alexandra, born Princess Alexandra of Denmark. His mother, who had been participating in indoor and outdoor winter festivities, did not even realize she was in labor, and disregarded the twinges of pain she had been feeling. However, her lady-in-waiting, Lady Macclesfield, who had given birth to thirteen children, realized what was happening. She sent for the Windsor town doctor because the royal doctors would have arrived in time. Because the baby was two months premature, nothing was ready for the birth. Despite last-minute preparations, the 3 3/4 pound prince was born strong and healthy, with only the Prince of Wales, Lady Macclesfield, and the doctor in attendance.

Following the wishes of his grandmother Queen Victoria, the baby was named Albert Victor, after the Queen and her late husband Prince Albert. He was given the additional names of Christian, after his maternal grandfather King Christian IX of Denmark, and Edward, one of his father’s names. The prince was always known as Eddy in the family and later as Prince Eddy in the press.

The infant prince was christened in the Private Chapel of Buckingham Palace on March 10, 1864. His godparents were:

Prince Eddy with his mother and father; Credit – Wikipedia

When Eddy was seventeen months old, his brother George, the future King George V, was born. Because of their closeness in age, the two brothers were brought up and educated together.  Eddy had a total of five siblings:

Prince Eddy and his siblings; Credit – Wikipedia

Eddy, who was inattentive and lazy, never excelled in his studies. Perhaps this was due to his premature birth which can be associated with learning disabilities. When separating the brothers for the remainder of their education was considered, Eddy and George’s tutor John Neale Dalton recommended keeping them together because “Prince Albert Victor requires the stimulus of Prince George’s company to induce him to work at all.”

In 1877, Eddy and George joined the Royal Navy’s training ship, HMS Britannia.  The brothers remained aboard the Britannia for nearly two years before embarking on a three-year cruise on the HMS Bacchante.  Always accompanied by their tutor Mr. Dalton, the brothers visited the Mediterranean, the West Indies, South America, South Africa, Australia, China, and Japan.

In 1883, the brothers were separated and Eddy spent a short time at Trinity College, Cambridge. Eddy showed little interest in the intellectual atmosphere. His second tutor John Kenneth Stephens said, ” He hardly knows the meaning of the words to read.” Nevertheless, Prince Eddy received an honorary degree. Prince Eddy’s apathetic attitude and his lack of interest in anything serious caused great anxiety to his family especially since in the line of succession, he would inherit the throne after his father.

Prince Eddy and his brother Prince George; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Eddy’s family decided that finding a suitable wife might help correct his attitude and behavior. Eddy proposed to his cousin Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine (later Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia) but was rejected by her. Eddy then fell head over heels for French Catholic Princess Hélène of Orléans, who returned his love. However, Hélène’s father, the Comte de Paris, refused to allow his daughter to convert to Anglicanism and forbade the marriage.

It was at this time that, unbeknownst to her, Princess Mary of Teck was considered the most suitable bride for Eddy. Mary’s mother was a first cousin of Queen Victoria, Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, the youngest child of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (the seventh son and tenth child of King George III and Queen Charlotte). Eddy offered no resistance to this suggestion. Mary had been brought up to revere the British monarchy and to be proud that she was a member of the British Royal Family. The fact that Mary’s father was a product of a morganatic marriage could have presented difficulties for her in the marriage market. Despite Eddy’s shortcomings, Mary felt it was her duty to marry him.

Eddy proposed to Mary during a ball on December 3, 1891. The engagement was announced three days later and the wedding was set for February 27, 1892. The engagement was met with disdain by some German relatives who felt that dignified, well-educated Mary was unequal in rank due to her grandfather’s morganatic marriage. However, Queen Victoria approved wholeheartedly of the marriage.

eddy and mary

Prince Eddy & Princess Mary of Teck; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Amid the wedding preparations, Eddy developed a high fever on January 7, 1892, at Sandringham in Norfolk, England. His sister Victoria and other household members already had been ill with influenza, which Eddy also developed. Two days later, his lungs became inflamed and pneumonia was diagnosed. In his delirium, Eddy frequently shouted the name “Hélène”, the name of the woman he originally wanted to marry.

In the early morning of January 14, 1892, a chaplain was summoned to Eddy’s bedroom at Sandringham. There, surrounded by his parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, his brother George, his sisters Louise, Victoria, and Maud, his fiancée Mary, and her mother the Duchess of Teck, Eddy died at 9:35 a.m. Eddy’s funeral was held at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor and he was buried in the Albert Memorial Chapel in St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, England. Mary’s wedding bouquet of orange blossoms lay on his coffin.

eddy_tomb

Tomb of Prince Albert Victor (Eddy); Credit – www.findagrave.com

After the death of Prince Eddy, Mary and Eddy’s brother George, now second in the line of succession, spent much time together. As time passed and their common grief eased, there was hope that a marriage might take place between them. George proposed to Mary beside a pond in the garden at his sister Louise’s home, East Sheen Lodge, on April 29, 1893. The engagement was announced on May 3, 1893, with the blessing of Queen Victoria. The couple married on July 6, 1893, and eventually became the beloved King George V and Queen Mary.

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Recommended Book

  • Prince Eddy: The King Britain Never Had – Andrew Cook

Alexandra of Denmark, Queen of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Alexandra of Denmark, Queen of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Alexandra, the wife of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, was born Princess Alexandra of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (full name Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia) on December 1, 1844, at the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark. She was the eldest daughter and the second of the six children of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel and was known in the family as Alix. In 1853, Alix’s father was confirmed as the successor of the childless King Frederik VII of Denmark and she was then Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Upon the death of King Frederik VII of Denmark in 1863, Alix’s father became King Christian IX of Denmark. Three of Alix’s five siblings became a monarch or a consort of a monarch.

King Christian IX of Denmark and his family (Front Row: Dagmar, Valdemar, Queen Louise, Thyra, Alexandra; Back Row: Frederik, King Christian, Vilhelm); Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert were seeking a bride for their eldest son Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, known in the family as Bertie. Victoria and Albert’s eldest daughter Victoria, Princess Royal, Crown Princess of Prussia, known as Vicky in the family, was enlisted to help with the search. Princess Alexandra had originally been fifth on the list of potential brides. Vicky thought Alix would be the perfect match for Bertie and she sent back glowing reports of her to Victoria and Albert. Prince Albert concluded that Alix was “the only one to be chosen. Vicky then arranged the first meeting between Alix and Bertie in Speyer Cathedral on September 24, 1861. On September 9, 1862, after the death of his father in December 1861, Bertie proposed to Alix at the Royal Palace of Laeken, the home of his great-uncle King Leopold I of the Belgians.  The couple was married at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on March 10, 1863. Queen Victoria, in perpetual mourning for Prince Albert, watched the ceremony from Catherine of Aragon’s Closet overlooking the left side of the altar.

Bertie and Alix on their wedding day; Credit – Wikipedia

Within seven years, Alix had given birth to six children. All of Alix’s children were born prematurely. Late in her third pregnancy (with Louise), Alix became ill with rheumatic fever.  She safely gave birth without the use of the painkiller chloroform which her doctors thought would worsen her condition.  The bout of rheumatic fever continued after the baby’s birth and Alix was in such pain that she had to be constantly comforted by her lady-in-waiting, Lady Macclesfield. The rheumatic  fever threatened her life and left her with a permanent limp

 

As the Prince and Princess of Wales, Bertie and Alix lived at Marlborough House near Buckingham Palace in London and Sandringham House in Norfolk, England.  Sandringham House, purchased by Queen Victoria for Bertie and Alix, is still a privately owned residence of the British monarch.

Sandringham House; Credit – Wikipedia

Alix was a popular Princess of Wales and undertook many duties in support of her mother-in-law Queen Victoria, in the words of the Queen, “spare me the strain and fatigue of functions.” Queen Victoria further said of Alix, “She opens bazaars, attends concerts, visits hospitals in my place … she not only never complains, but endeavours to prove that she has enjoyed what to another would be a tiresome duty.” However, Alix’s increasing deafness caused by hereditary otosclerosis led to social isolation and she spent more time at home with her children and pets.

As a mother, Alix was extremely possessive, demanded complete devotion from her children, and insisted that they call her “Motherdear.”  Her three daughters were much plainer than their beautiful mother and very shy. Family members referred to them as “the whispering Walses.” Princess Victoria was never allowed to marry as her parents considered all her suitors unsuitable. She was destined to spend her life attending her mother who would ring a bell at all hours of the day and night to summon Victoria to her side. Princess Victoria’s cousin, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, described her as little more than “a glorified maid.”

On January 22, 1901, Queen Victoria died and Bertie, at the age of 59, finally became King. The coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra was held at Westminster Abbey on August 9, 1902.  Originally scheduled for June 26, it had to be postponed because the new king developed appendicitis.  Bertie and Alix began the idea of the royal family’s public appearances as we now know them during Queen Victoria’s withdrawal after her husband’s death, and they continued this during Bertie’s reign.

Queen Alexandra and King Edward VII on their coronation day; Credit – Wikipedia

During his marriage, Bertie had many mistresses. Alix knew about many of them and accepted them. Among the women, Bertie socialized with were: the actress Lillie Langtry; Lady Randolph Churchill (born Jennie Jerome in the USA, was the mother of Winston Churchill); Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick; actress Sarah Bernhardt; and Alice Keppel who was his last mistress.  Alice Keppel is the great-grandmother of Queen Camilla. When Bertie was on his deathbed, Alix sent for Alice Keppel and arranged for her to see the king during one of his periods of consciousness. When Bertie died on May 6, 1910, Alix quipped, “Now at least I know where he is.”

Toward the end of her life, Alix became almost completely deaf and suffered from mild senile dementia. She died of a heart attack at her beloved Sandringham House on November 20, 1925, just eleven days short of her 81st birthday. She was the longest-lived queen consort since Eleanor of Aquitaine and held that record until the death of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother who died at the age of 101. Alix’s remains were brought to London and the cortege proceeded through the streets in a snowstorm. Queen Alexandra was buried with her husband in a tomb on the south side of the sanctuary of St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

 

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House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Princess Michael of Kent

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

 

Baroness Marie-Christine Anna Agnes Hedwig Ida von Reibnitz was born on January 15, 1945, in Carlsbad, then in the German-controlled Sudetenland, now known as Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. Her father was Baron Günther von Reibnitz and her mother was Countess Maria Anna Szapáry von Muraszombath, a descendant of the House of Windisch-Grätz. Marie-Christine has an older half-sister Margarita from her father’s first marriage and an older brother Friedrich. In 1985, Princess Michael acknowledged that her father had been a member of the Nazi party and held the rank of Major in the SS (Schutzstaffel).

After her parents divorced, her father moved to Mozambique where he became a farmer and big game hunter, and her mother took Marie-Christine and her older brother to Sydney, Australia where she ran a hair salon. In 1968, Marie-Christine settled in London, England where she worked in architecture, carpentry, and advertising. She studied the history of fine and decorative art at the Victoria and Albert Museum and then had her own successful interior design company, Szapar Designs.

On September 14, 1971, Marie-Christine married English banker Thomas Troubridge, the younger brother of Sir Peter Troubridge, 6th Baronet. The couple separated in 1973 and divorced in 1977. The Roman Catholic Church formally annulled the marriage in May 1978. On June 30, 1978, Marie-Christine married Prince Michael of Kent, a grandson of King George V and a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, in a civil ceremony at the Rathaus (City Hall) in Vienna, Austria. On June 29, 1983, the couple married in a Roman Catholic ceremony, at the Archbishop’s House in London after receiving the permission of Pope John Paul II.

 

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.

Upon her marriage, Marie-Christine’s style and title became Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent. Traditionally, all wives of male members of the British Royal Family take the style and title of their husbands. Princess Michael could not be called Princess Marie-Christine, as she is not a princess in her own right. See Unofficial Royalty: Their Royal Highness Prince and Princess

The couple had two children, who were raised in the Church of England, and therefore retain their place in the line of succession to the British throne:

 

Neither Princess Michael nor her husband have official royal duties or receive public funds. However, they occasionally represented Queen Elizabeth II at events abroad. Princess Michael works as a writer, historian, lecturer, interior designer, and art consultant. She has authored three non-fiction books: Crowned in a Far Country: Eight Royal Brides, Cupid and the King – Five Royal Paramours, and The Serpent and The Moon – Two Rivals for the Love of a Renaissance King and two novels: The Queen Of Four Kingdoms and Agnès Sorel: Mistress of Beauty.

 

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.