Crown Prince Alexander II of Serbia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Crown Prince Alexander II of Serbia; Credit – Wikipedia

Crown Prince Alexander II of Serbia is the son of King Peter II of Yugoslavia and Princess Alexandra of Greece and is the current pretender to the former Serbian throne. He was born on July 17, 1945, in Suite 212 of Claridge’s Hotel in London, England where his parents lived in exile. Under the orders of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the British government ceded sovereignty of the suite to Yugoslavia for the day so the new Crown Prince could be born on Yugoslav soil. He was baptized at Westminster Abbey, and his godparents were King George VI and then-Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II.

Just four months after his birth, Yugoslavia was declared a republic, his father deposed and the family stripped of their citizenship and properties. They settled in various places, including France, Switzerland, and eventually the United States. Alexander’s parents’ marriage was increasingly strained, with constant struggles to find sources of income, King Peter’s numerous affairs, as well as his mother’s fragile health. Because of this, Alexander was raised predominantly by his maternal grandmother Aspasia Manos, the widow of King Alexander of Greece.

He attended the Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland, Culver Military Academy in the United States, Gordonstoun in Scotland, and Millfield in England. He then attended the Mons Officer Cadet School in England, earning his commission in the British Army in 1966. He served in the 16th/5th The Queen’s Royal Lancers, with tours in West Germany, Italy, the Middle East, and Northern Ireland before leaving the military in 1972 to pursue a career in International Business.

Prince Alexander, Prince Philip and Hereditary Prince Peter photo: © Royal Family of Serbia

Prince Alexander, Hereditary Prince Philip, and Prince Peter.  photo: The Royal Family of Serbia

Crown Prince Alexander married Princess Maria da Gloria of Orléans Bragança on July 1, 1972. The couple divorced on February 19, 1985. They had three sons:

photo: Order of Sartorial Splendor

Alexander and Katherine Clairy Batis – photo: Order of Sartorial Splendor

The Crown Prince then married Katherine Clairy Batis in a civil ceremony held on September 20, 1985, with a religious ceremony the following day at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in London, England. The new Crown Princess has two children from a previous marriage.

Alexander and his family visited Yugoslavia for the first time in 1991 and returned for several more visits in the next decade. Following the uprisings in 2000, they took up permanent residence in the country, still called Yugoslavia at the time. In February 2001, the government granted the family Yugoslavian citizenship (which had been stripped from them in 1947), and the following month returned the use of many of the royal family’s former properties. Alexander and his family took up residence at the Royal Palace, part of the Royal Compound in the Dedinje area of Belgrade.

Although the country, known as Serbia since 2003, is still a republic, Crown Prince Alexander remains an advocate for the restoration of the monarchy. While keeping out of the political arena, the Crown Prince focuses his time and efforts on humanitarian issues and encouraging peace among the various political factions in the country. He travels extensively throughout the world and is often in attendance at major royal functions in Europe. Through his descent from Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, King Christian IX of Denmark and Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, he is related to many of Europe’s other royal families.

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Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine attend a dinner for foreign Sovereigns to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on May 18, 2012

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Margareta of Romania, Custodian of the Crown of Romania

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania; Credit – Wikipedia

Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania is the eldest of the five daughters of King Mihai I of Romania and Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma. She has claimed the headship of the House of Romania since her father’s death on December 5, 2017. Margareta was born on March 26, 1949, in Lausanne, Switzerland, where her father was living in exile. Her parents had met in London during the festivities of the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh in 1947 and married the following year. The Duke of Edinburgh was one of Margareta’s godparents.

Margareta has four younger sisters:

  • Princess Elena of Romania (born 1950), married  (1) Robin Medforth-Mills, had two children, divorced  (2) Alexander McAteer, no children
  • Princess Irina of Romania (born 1953), married  (1) John Kreuger, had two children, divorced  (2) John Wesley Walker, no children; In 2013, Irina was stripped of her title, styles and rights to the throne following involvement with illegal cockfighting and arrest. She was restored to her original royal style and title by her elder sister Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, in August 2020.
  • Princess Sophie of Romania (born 1957), married and divorced Alain Michel Biarneix, had one daughter
  • Princess Marie of Romania (born 1964), married and divorced Kazimierz Wiesław Mystkowski

Following her primary and secondary education in Switzerland, Margareta had planned to attend the Ecole des Beaux-Artes in Paris, France. However, she was persuaded to first spend a year in Florence with her grandmother, Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark, during which she decided to pursue a more academic education. She attended and graduated from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. While a student at Edinburgh, she was romantically involved with the future British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Following university, Margareta worked with several universities, specializing in public health policy and medical sociology. She then worked with the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development.  In 1989, she returned to Switzerland to work with her father and causes relating to Romania. In 1990, she established The Princess Margareta of Romania Foundation to foster and support civil society in Romania.

photo: Order of Sartorial Splendour

Margareta and Radu Duda on their wedding day Photo: Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor

In 1994, through The Princess Margareta of Romania Foundation, Margareta met her future husband, Radu Duda. He was the director of an art therapy program for orphans supported by Margareta’s foundation. They were married on September 21, 1996, in Lausanne, Switzerland. The couple has no children and resides at the Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest, Romania.

During the time of the Romanian monarchy, succession to the throne was limited to males, and therefore, Margareta and her sisters were not eligible to succeed. However, in December 2007, King Mihai made changes to the house laws to ensure the succession of the current family. He established the Fundamental Rules of the Royal Family of Romania, changing the line of succession to allow his daughters to succeed. Princess Margareta was named as Crown Princess and Custodian of the Romanian Crown, and his heir as Head of the House of Romania. King Mihai also requested that if the monarchy was ever restored, equal primogeniture be used for the line of succession.  Following her father’s death in December 2017, Margareta became Head of the House of Romania and is formally styled as Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown.

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Margareta and her husband at the funeral of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg in 2019

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Romania Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Embed from Getty Images 

Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece is the eldest son of the late former King Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark. He was born on May 20, 1967, at Tatoi Palace north of Athens, Greece. His paternal grandparents are  King Paul of Greece and Princess Frederica of Hanover, both descendants of Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter Victoria, Princess Royal. His maternal grandparents are  King Frederik IX of Denmark and Princess Ingrid of Sweden, a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

He has four siblings:

A coup forced the royal family to flee the country seven months after Pavlos was born.  They settled in Rome, Italy for several years before moving to England in 1974.

Pavlos and his cousin Felipe of Spain while attending Georgetown University, 1995 photo: Washington Life Magazine

Pavlos and his cousin Felipe of Spain while attending Georgetown University, 1995.  photo source: Washington Life Magazine

Pavlos attended the Hellenic College of London, founded by his parents, and then graduated from the United World College in 1986. He attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, followed by a three-year commission with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. Following his military career, he enrolled in Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Washington, DC, earning his Bachelor’s Degree in 1993 (International Relations, Law and Organization) and his Master’s Degree in 1995 (Foreign Relations and Economics). While at Georgetown, his roommate was his first cousin, the future King Felipe VI of Spain.

 

On July 1, 1995, Pavlos married Marie-Chantal Miller at St Sophia’s Cathedral in London, England. Marie-Chantal is the daughter of billionaire entrepreneur Robert Warren Miller and María Clara Pesantes Becerra. The wedding celebrations were extravagant and expensive. The wedding ceremony, receptions, and celebrations reportedly cost the Miller family 8 million dollars. The wedding dress alone reportedly cost $225,000. More royalty attended Marie-Chantal and Pavlos’ wedding than the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer.

They have five children:

Pavlos and his family lived in New York City and London, where Pavlos has worked as an investment consultant. In 1997, Pavlos founded Griphon Asset Management. The following year, he co-founded Ivory Capital Group LLC. In 2002, he co-founded Ortelius Capital Partners LLC, and in 2003, he co-founded Brigantine, a value-based equity firm.

The Crown Prince and his family, March 2014. photo: Royalista.com

The Crown Prince and his family, March 2014. photo source: Royalista.com

Pavlos and his family retain close ties to their Spanish and Danish cousins and the British Royal Family. King Charles III of the United Kingdom is a godparent to Pavlos and his eldest daughter Maria-Olympia. Prince William, The Prince of Wales is a godparent to Pavlos’ eldest son, Constantine-Alexios.

Pavlos’ father, the former King Constantine II of the Hellenes died on January 10, 2023, aged 82, Pavlos succeeded him as Head of the House of Glücksburg-Greece and titular King of the Hellenes.

On December 19, 2024, Pavlos, his five children, and his four siblings submitted an application for Greek citizenship, which had been stripped from the family in 1994. Under the law, Pavlos and his family had to pledge allegiance to the Greek constitution and have a surname. The surname of  “of Greece” was chosen. The following day, the Greek citizenship of Pavlos, his children, and his siblings was reinstated according to the provisions of the 1994 law.

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Queen Sofia of Spain

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

 

Note: Queen Sofia was named Sophia, the Latin version of her Greek name Σοφία. When she married, her name was changed to the Spanish variant Sofía and in English, it generally is Sofia which will be used throughout this article.

Queen Sofia, the wife King Juan Carlos I of Spain, was Queen Consort of Spain from her husband’s accession on November 22, 1975 until June 19, 2014, when King Juan Carlos abdicated in favor of his son, King Felipe VI. Sophia Margarita Victoria Federica was born on November 2, 1938, at Villa Psychiko, in the suburbs of Athens, Greece. Her parents were King Paul of Greece and Princess Frederica of Hanover, both descendants of Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter Victoria, Princess Royal who married Friedrich III, German Emperor.

  • Queen Victoria -> Victoria, Princess Royal -> Princess Sophie of Prussia -> King Paul I of Greece -> Queen Sofia of Spain
  • Queen Victoria -> Victoria, Princess Royal -> Wilhelm II, German Emperor -> Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia -> Princess Frederica of Hanover -> Queen Sofia of Spain

Sofia was christened Sophia Margarita Victoria Federica on January 9, 1939, in a Greek Orthodox ceremony at the Royal Palace in Athens, Greece. Her godparents were:

Sofia. eldest of her parents’ three children, had a younger brother and a younger sister:

Constantine II_birth family

Sofia in the middle with her family around 1947; Credit – www.britannica.com

In April of 1941, during World War II, Germany and Italy invaded Greece and Sofia’s family was forced to flee. The family lived in Alexandria, Egypt, and Cape Town, South Africa before returning to Greece in 1946. King George II of Greece, Sofia’s uncle, died childless in 1947, so Sofia’s father became King and her brother Constantine became Crown Prince.

While in Alexandria, Egypt, Sofia attended El Nasr Girls’ College. She finished her secondary education at Salem School in Salem, Germany and when she returned to Greece, she studied childcare and music. Sofia also studied at Fitzwilliam College, the University of Cambridge in England. In the 1960 Rome Summer Olympics, Sofia represented Greece as a reserve member of the sailing team. Her brother Constantine won a Gold Medal in Sailing: Mixed Three Person Keel/Dragon Class in those Olympics. Sofia is fluent in five languages: Greek, German, Spanish, French, and English.

It was on an August 1954 cruise aboard the Agamemnon, a 5,500-ton luxury liner owned by Greek line Nomikes, funded by Sofia’s father and reportedly the idea of her mother, that Sofia first met her future husband Juan Carlos of Spain. See Unofficial Royalty: Agamemnon, 1954: Cruise of the Kings.  Sofia and Juan Carlos met again in 1961 when Prince Edward, Duke of Kent married.

A year later in Athens, on May 14, 1962, Sofia and Juan Carlos were married in three ceremonies: a Roman Catholic ceremony at the Cathedral of St. Dionysius the Areopagite, a civil ceremony at the Royal Palace, and the last, a Greek Orthodox ceremony at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation.

Sofia_wedding

Photo Credit – 02varvara.wordpress.com

Juan Carlos and Sofia have three children:

Sofia_family

Queen Sofia and her family in 1976; Credit- http://www.casareal.es

At the time of Sofia’s marriage, Spain was ruled by the dictator General Francisco Franco and her husband had no official title or position in Spain. In 1969, General Franco recognized Juan Carlos as his successor and bestowed upon him the title of Prince of Spain. Juan Carlos became King of Spain in 1975 upon the death of General Franco.

Besides traveling in Spain and around the world on official engagements, Queen Sofia has been active in several charities. She is the executive president of The Queen Sofia Foundation, which is involved with social and humanitarian assistance, benefiting children, the elderly, immigrants, the disabled, and those affected by natural disasters.

Among the other organizations, Queen Sofia works with are:

In June 2014, Sofia’s husband King Juan Carlos announced his intent to abdicate in favor of their son Felipe. On June 18, 2014, Juan Carlos signed the law granting the abdication which would take effect just after midnight. The following day, his son was formally sworn in as King Felipe VI of Spain.

On August 3, 2020, former King Juan Carlos informed his son King Felipe VI of his decision to leave Spain because of increased media coverage concerning his business dealings in Saudi Arabia which were being investigated by the Spanish and Swiss legal systems. Initially, the Royal Household declined requests to publicly disclose Juan Carlos’ location. However, on August 17, 2020, the Royal Household confirmed that Juan Carlos was in the United Arab Emirates. Queen Sofia remained in Spain, staying at her home, Zarzuela Palace in Madrid, and continued with her activities. See Why did former King Juan Carlos leave Spain? for more information.

Queen Sofia and King Juan Carlos at the funeral of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg in 2019

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Kingdom of Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Margarita Sakskoburggotska, wife of former Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Margarita with het husband Simeon; Credit – Wikipedia

Margarita is the wife of Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria, who reigned from 1943 to 1946 as a child. Simeon was exiled from Bulgaria as a child, and never formally renounced his claim to the throne, but his wife and children never received titles from Bulgaria. Outside of Bulgaria, Margarita is sometimes styled Tsaritsa Margarita of Bulgaria, and while in Bulgaria she is usually styled Margarita Sakskoburggotska. Sakskoburggotska is Bulgarian for Saxe-Coburg- Gotha. The first Tsar of Bulgaria was Simeon’s grandfather Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, whose father was a first cousin of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

Doña Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela was born on January 6, 1935, in Madrid, Spain. She was the youngest of two children of Don Manuel Gómez-Acebo y Modet and Doña María de las Mercedes Cejuela y Fernández. Margarita’s family was wealthy and her father was a lawyer involved with commercial and banking companies. In 1936, at the start of the Spanish Civil War, Margarita’s parents and her maternal grandmother were arrested by Spanish Republicans and were executed. Because of what happened to their family, Margarita and her brother José Luis received the Suffering for the Motherland Medal from Francoist Spain.

Orphaned before she was two years old, Margarita, along with her brother José Luis Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela (died 2010) were placed in the care of their paternal grandmother Doña Margarita Modet y Amalgro. After her death, the two children were placed in the guardianship of two uncles. Margarita is a first cousin of the late Luis Gómez-Acebo y Duque de Estrada, Duke of Badajoz, husband of Infanta Pilar, sister of King Juan Carlos I of Spain.

In 1958, Margarita first met Simeon as he prepared to go to the United States to attend the Valley Forge Military Academy and College in Pennsylvania. When the couple decided to marry, they were faced with some religious issues. Margarita was Roman Catholic and Simeon was Bulgarian Orthodox. The Roman Catholic Church required that the non-Catholic partner must declare in writing that the children of the marriage be baptized as Catholic. Simeon could not follow this rule without violating the Bulgarian constitution. After some roadblocks in solving the problem, the Second Vatican Council began meeting in Rome and one of the issues the Council dealt with was relations between the Catholic and the Orthodox Church. These circumstances largely contributed to the successful outcome of Margarita and Simeon’s case.

On January 20, 1962, the Roman Catholic wedding, the first of the three wedding ceremonies, took place in Lausanne, Switzerland. The civil ceremony conducted by the mayor of Lausanne then took place. The next day relatives and Bulgarians from all over the world met at the beautiful L’église russe (Russian Church) in Vevey, Switzerland for the Orthodox wedding ceremony. At the time, Margarita joked, “It is very hard and almost impossible to dissolve a triple wedding.”

After their marriage, the couple resided in Madrid, Spain where all five of their children were born.

  • Kardam, Prince of Turnovo (1962 – 2015), married Miriam Ungría y López, had issue
  • Kyril, Prince of Preslav (born 1964), married María del Rosario Nadal y Fuster de Puigdorfila, had issue
  • Kubrat, Prince of Panagyurishte (born 1965), married Carla María de la Soledad Royo-Villanova y Urrestarazu, had issue
  • Konstantin-Assen, Prince of Vidin (born 1967), married María García de la Rasilla y Gortázar, had issue
  • Princess Kalina (born 1972), married Antonio “Kitín” Muñoz y Valcárcel, had issue
Margarita_family

Margarita with her family; Photo Credit – http://www.styleforum.net

In 1996, several years after the fall of the communist regime in Bulgaria, Margarita visited Bulgaria for the first time, accompanied by her husband. Their stays in Bulgaria became more frequent until 2001 when the former Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria became Prime Minister of Bulgaria when his party won 120 of the 240 seats in Parliament. Since then Margarita and Simeon have lived in Bulgaria. The couple currently resides in what was Simeon’s boyhood home, Vrana Palace, near Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Vrana Palace was returned to Simeon and his sister Maria Luisa by the Constitutional Court of Bulgaria in June 1998.

 

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Bulgaria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Fabiola de Mora y Aragón, Queen Fabiola of Belgium

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Fabiola

Queen Fabiola of Belgium; Photo Credit – www.telegraph.co.uk

Queen Fabiola was Queen of the Belgians from the time of her marriage in 1960 until the death of her husband King Baudouin of the Belgians in 1993. Doña Fabiola Fernanda Maria de las Victorias Antonia Adelaïda de Mora y Aragón was born to a Spanish aristocratic family in Madrid, Spain on June 11, 1928. Fabiola was the fifth of the six children of Gonzalo de Mora y Fernández, Riera y del Olmo, 4th Marquess of Casa Riera, 2nd Count of Mora and his wife Blanca de Aragón y Carrillo de Albornoz, Barroeta-Aldamar y Elío. Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, was her godmother.

Fabiola had six siblings:

  • Doña Maria de las Nieves de Mora y Aragon married Alfonso Escrivá de Romani y Patiño, Count of  Sástago, had seven children
  • Don Gonzalo de Mora y Aragon, 5th Marquess of Casa Riera (1919 – 2006), married Doña Mercedes Narváez Coello de Portugal, had fourteen children
  • Doña Ana Maria de Mora y Aragón (1921 – 2006), married Don Jaime de Silva y Agrela, 17th Duke of Lécera, had eigth children
  • Don Jaime de Mora y Aragón (1925 – 1995), married Margit Ohlson, one adopted son
  • Doña Maria-Luz de Mora y Aragón (1929 – 2011) , married Don José Maria Ruiz de Bucesta y Osorio de Moscoso, 13th Duke of Medina de las Torres , had three children

Fabiola trained as a nurse and worked in a Madrid hospital. She was fluent in six languages: Spanish, French, Dutch, English, German, and Italian. Fabiola was also the author of a children’s book Los Doce Cuentos Maravillosos (The Twelve Marvelous Tales), a book of 12 fairy tales, published in 1955 in her native Spain. The book was later translated into other languages and made into an attraction at a Dutch amusement park. See Unofficial Royalty: Queen Fabiola’s Indian Water Lilies.

On December 15, 1960, Fabiola married King Baudouin of the Belgians, who had been king since the abdication of his father King Leopold III in 1951 The couple married at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels, Belgium. Fabiola wore a beautiful Art Deco tiara, the Nine Provinces Tiara, that had been a gift of the Belgian people to her husband’s mother Princess Astrid of Sweden upon her marriage to King Leopold III.

Fabiola_wedding

Photo Credit – http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.com

Unfortunately, King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola lost five children to miscarriages and upon King Baudouin’s unexpected death in 1993,  his younger brother succeeded him as King Albert II.  King Albert abdicated in 2013 in favor of his elder son King Philippe.

Fabiola_Baudouin

Queen Fabiola and King Baudouin; Photo Credit – royalementblog.blogspot.com

Queen Fabiola was active in a number of charities including:

On December 5, 2014, Queen Fabiola, aged 86, died at her home Stuyvenberg Castle in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium. She was buried with her husband at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken, the traditional burial site of the Belgian monarchs.

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Kingdom of Belgium Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King Juan Carlos I of Spain

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

 

King Juan Carlos I was the reigning King of Spain from November 22, 1975, until his abdication on June 19, 2014. He was born Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, Infante of Spain, on January 5, 1938, in Rome, where the family had settled after the monarchy was overthrown in 1931 and Spain became a Republic. His parents were Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, son of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and Princess María Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

Juan Carlos was christened on January 26, 1938, at the Chapel of the Order of Malta in Rome, Italy by Cardinal Secretary of State of the Holy See, Monsignor Eugenio Pacelli, future Pope Pius XII. His godparents were:

Juan Carlos has three siblings:

Despite the family living in exile, Juan Carlos was permitted to return to Spain in 1948 to attend school. After graduating from the San Isidro Institute in Madrid in 1954, he joined the Army, receiving his officer training at the Military Academy of Zaragoza. This was followed by a year with the Navy and then another year with the Air Force. He then attended Complutense University in Madrid, studying law and international relations.

 

Juan Carlos married Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark on May 14, 1962, at the Church of Saint Dennis in Athens. Sophia is the eldest daughter of King Paul of the Hellenes and Princess Frederica of Hanover.

The couple took up residence at Zarzuela Palace, and have three children:

King Juan Carlos being sworn in as King of Spain photo: EyeOnSpain.com

King Juan Carlos being sworn in as King of Spain.  photo: EyeOnSpain.com

On July 21, 1969, General Franco formally named Juan Carlos his successor, giving him the newly created title ‘The Prince of Spain’. Franco died on November 22, 1975, and Juan Carlos was proclaimed King by the Cortes, the Spanish legislature. He was formally sworn in on November 27, 1975. While many expected the new King to continue with Franco’s policies and government, Juan Carlos instead began implementing changes and reforms. In 1977, Spain held its first democratic elections, and the following year saw the institution of a new Spanish Constitution.

King Juan Carlos addressing the nation, February 23, 1981. photo: BBC

King Juan Carlos addressing the nation, February 23, 1981.  photo: BBC

His handling of an attempted coup in 1981 is deemed by many to be Juan Carlos’ greatest accomplishment. When the democratically elected members of the Cortes (Spanish parliament) were taken hostage, King Juan Carlos addressed the nation, calling for the law to be upheld and the government to continue. The coup attempt quickly fell apart, and within 18 hours, the Cortes was back in control. Juan Carlos’ strong stance and forceful speech led to a surge in popularity and support of the monarchy.

In the later years of his reign, King Juan Carlos was plagued with several health issues and several personal matters which proved problematic for the monarchy. Most prominent were allegations directed at his son-in-law Iñaki Urdangarín for diverting public funds for personal use through one of his companies. Later, the King’s daughter Infanta Cristina was also charged with tax fraud and money laundering. In 2012, while Spain was in the midst of a financial crisis, King Juan Carlos went on an elephant-hunting trip to Botswana. The trip became public knowledge when the King was injured and a special plane was flown to return him to Spain. He was quickly vilified in the media for the lavish trip, estimated at costing more than 2-years the average salary in Spain, while many Spaniards suffered financially. The presence of a reported mistress on the trip also caused significant discord at home. All of these events took a strong personal toll on King Juan Carlos, as well as the Spanish monarchy as a whole.

King Juan Carlos formally signing the abdication into law, June 18, 2014. Photo: Hello

King Juan Carlos signing the abdication into law, on June 18, 2014.  Photo: Hello

In June 2014, despite earlier denials from the Palace, King Juan Carlos announced his intent to abdicate in favor of his son Felipe. On June 18, 2014, King Juan Carlos signed the law granting the abdication which would take effect just after midnight. The following day, his son was formally sworn in as King Felipe VI of Spain. In late May 2019, it was announced that King Juan Carlos planned to retire completely from official duties, as of June 2, 2019, five years after he had announced his plans to abdicate.

In March 2020, Swiss authorities began investigating Juan Carlos concerning a $100 million donation given to his former alleged mistress Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn in 2012. This donation was linked to alleged kick-back fees from Saudi Arabia for Juan Carlos’ role as a facilitator in the construction of a high-speed rail connecting Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

On March 15, 2020, King Felipe VI announced that he would renounce any future inheritance from his father connected with his foreign bank accounts. He also stripped Juan Carlos of his annual stipend. In June 2020, Spain’s prosecutor general decided that prosecutors from the Supreme Court should investigate Juan Carlos’ role in the Saudi Arabia case to determine whether there is sufficient evidence that Juan Carlos committed a crime after his abdication. As King of Spain, Juan Carlos was immune from prosecution via crown immunity from 1975 to 2014.

On August 3, 2020, Juan Carlos I informed his son, King Felipe VI via a letter of his decision to leave Spain because of increased media press concerning his business dealings in Saudi Arabia. By the time the letter had been made public, Juan Carlos had already left the country. Initially, the Royal Household declined requests to publicly disclose Juan Carlos’s location. However, on August 17, 2020, the Royal Household confirmed that Juan Carlos was in the United Arab Emirates. His wife Queen Sofia remained in Spain, at her home, Zarzuela Palace in Madrid, and continued with her activities.

On August 3, 2020, the following letter was sent to King Felipe VI from his father, Juan Carlos, the former King of Spain:

Your Majesty, Dear Felipe, with the same zeal to serve Spain that inspired my reign and faced with the public impact that certain past actions of my private life are causing, I wish to show you my absolute willingness to contribute to helping the exercise of your functions with the peace and tranquility required of your high level of responsibility. My legacy, and my own dignity as a person, demands it.

A year ago, I told you of my willingness and desire to stand down from my institutional activities. Now, guided by the conviction to provide the best service to Spaniards, its institutions, and to you as King, I am informing you of my well-considered decision to move away from Spain.

It is a decision I take, with deep feeling but great calm. I was king of Spain for 40 years and during all those years I have always wanted the best for Spain and the Crown.

With my loyalty always.
With great affection, your father.

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Kingdom of Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King Mihai I of Romania

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

photo: Romanian Royal Family website

King Mihai I of Romania – photo source: Romanian Royal Family Website

King Mihai I of Romania (also known as Michael) was born on October 25, 1921, in a chalet on the grounds of Peleş Castle in Sinaia, Romania. He is the only child of King Carol II of Romania and his second wife, Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark. When he was just four years old, his father renounced his own right to the throne, and Mihai became the heir apparent to his grandfather King Ferdinand. Upon King Ferdinand’s death on July 20, 1927, Mihai took the throne as King of Romania. Because of his age (not yet 6 years old), a regency council was established, led by Mihai’s uncle, Prince Nicolas.

In June 1930, in a coup d’état engineered by Prime Minister Iuliu Maniu, Mihai’s father returned to Romania, declared his earlier renunciation invalid, and was proclaimed King by the Romanian Parliament on June 8th. Mihai was ‘demoted’ to Crown Prince. However, unhappy with King Carol II’s actions and policies, on September 6, 1940, another coup d’état took place, this time under Prime Minister Ion Antonescu, and Carol was forced to formally abdicate. Mihai was once again King of Romania.

King Mihai in 1947. photo: Wikipedia

King Mihai in 1947. photo: Wikipedia

In November 1947, while in London to attend the wedding of two of his cousins Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten, King Mihai first met his future wife (and second cousin once removed), Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma. She was the daughter of Prince René of Bourbon-Parma and Princess Margaret of Denmark. There was some matchmaking going on, with the King’s mother trying to get the couple together, as well as some help from Anne’s cousin, the future Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg. According to the King, he proposed a week later and the couple was engaged. Wanting to inform his government before making any official announcement, he returned to Romania.

On December 30, 1947, he was summoned to Bucharest to find his palace surrounded by troops loyal to the Communist regime. With threats of bloodshed, and according to the King’s own account, a gun to his head, he was forced to sign a document of abdication. Four days later, he was forced to leave the country. In March 1948, he publicly announced that his abdication was invalid, as it had been forced upon him, and that he remained the rightful King of Romania.

Meanwhile, plans were still underway for Mihai’s wedding to Anne. The couple had reunited in Switzerland and were facing one of the biggest obstacles in their upcoming life together – religion. Anne was Roman Catholic while Mihai was Orthodox. A dispensation was sought from the Pope, who insisted that Mihai promise any children would be raised Catholic. The King would not, and could not, make this promise as it would violate the Romanian constitution, and the Pope refused to sanction the marriage. But the couple, with the support of most of their families, vowed to marry anyway. Years later, in 1966, they had a second wedding in a Roman Catholic church in Monaco.

photo source: Romanian Royal Family Website

On June 10, 1948, Mihai and Anne were married in an Orthodox ceremony held in the throne room of the Royal Palace in Athens. Attendants included Mihai’s cousin Sophia (later Queen Sofia of Spain) and his uncle, King Paul of the Hellenes. Noticeably missing were the bride’s parents. Because of the religious differences, Anne’s uncle Prince Xavier of Bourbon-Parma had issued a statement refusing to condone a wedding that went against the wishes of the Pope. He also forbade her parents from attending. However, her maternal side of the family did attend and her mother’s brother Prince Erik, Count of Rosenborg gave her away. Upon the marriage, and despite Michael having lost his throne, Anne took the title of Her Majesty The Queen of Romania. The couple first lived at his mother’s home, Villa Sparta, in San Domenico, Italy before moving to Switzerland in 1949. Two years later they moved to England where they remained until returning to Switzerland in 1956.

Mihai and Anne had five daughters:

King Mihai worked as a commercial pilot and worked for an aircraft equipment company. It would be 43 years before he set foot on Romanian soil again. In December 1990, the King was given permission for a 24-hour visit. However, this ended up being cut short and he was forced to leave early. He visited Romania in again 1992 but the mass outpouring of crowds and supporters concerned the current government and he was banned again for several years. Finally, in 1997, the Romanian government restored Mihai’s citizenship and in the following years, several properties were returned to the royal family. The King and Queen lived primarily at the Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest, and their country home, Săvârșin Castle, in Transylvania. They also had a home in Switzerland.

King Mihai and Queen Anne waiving from the Elisabeta Palace, 2001. photo: Guardian/AP

King Mihai and Queen Anne waiving from the Elisabeta Palace, 2001. photo: The Guardian/AP

In the years after returning to Romania, King Mihai was active in the promotion of Romania around the world but did not make any overtures toward the restoration of the monarchy. However, he made changes to the House Laws to ensure the succession of the current royal family. In 2007, he established the Fundamental Rules of the Royal Family of Romania, changing the line of succession to allow his daughters to succeed. Until then, women had been excluded. He named his eldest daughter Crown Princess and Custodian of the Romanian Crown, and his heir as Head of the Royal House of Romania.

King Mihai and Queen Anne at his 90th birthday celebrations, with Queen Sofia of Spain. photo: Russian Imperial House

King Mihai and Queen Anne at his 90th birthday celebrations, with Queen Sofia of Spain.
photo source: Russian Imperial House

On March 2, 2016, it was announced that King Mihai had been diagnosed with chronic leukemia and metastatic epidermoid carcinoma and that he was withdrawing from public life.  Crown Princess Margareta took on his public duties. King Mihai’s wife Anne died on August 1, 2016, in a hospital in Morges, Switzerland, at the age of 92.

King Mihai died at his residence in Switzerland on December 5, 2017, at the age of 96.  After lying-in-state at Peleș Castle and then at the Royal Palace of Bucharest, his funeral service was held at Bucharest’s Romanian Orthodox Patriarchal Cathedral.  King Mihai is buried at the new Archdiocesan and Royal Cathedral at Curtea de Argeș.

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Romania Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned of Qatar

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

photo: The Qatar Consultancy

Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned of Qatar – photo: The Qatar Consultancy

Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned is the wife of Sheikh Hammad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former Emir of Qatar, and mother of Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.

Sheikha Mozah was born on August 8, 1959, in Al-Khor, Qatar. Her father, Nasser bin Abdullah Al Missned had publicly advocated for a fairer distribution of wealth in the small nation of Qatar, which brought about his imprisonment at the hands of the Emir (the father of her future husband). Despite this, while attending Qatar University, she met and became engaged to the Crown Prince of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. Mozah would eventually earn her Bachelor’s Degree from Qatar University in 1986. She became his second wife in 1977. They have seven children:

Sheikha Mozah with her husband on an official visit to Spain, 2011 photo: Zimbio

Sheikha Mozah with her husband on an official visit to Spain, 2011.  photo: Zimbio

When her husband became Emir in 1995, Sheikha Mozah took a very public and prominent role in the country. Unlike most wives in Middle Eastern monarchies who remain quietly in the background, she has used her profile and position to raise awareness of important issues. With her husband, she established the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, and serves as the Chairperson of the Board. She serves as President of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, Vice-Chairperson of the Supreme Education Council, Chairperson of the Silatech initiative, and Chairperson of the Arab Democracy Foundation. Since 2003, she has worked with UNESCO as a Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education.

On June 25, 2013, after eighteen years as Emir, Sheikh Hamad publically announced his abdication in favor of his son Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa. Internationally, Sheikha Mozah often represented her husband at major royal functions and accompanied him on most state visits. She is considered by many to be one of the most glamorous and fashionable royals in the world and remains a visible member of Qatar’s royal family, often seen supporting her son, the current Emir.

Sheikha Mozah, with Princess Lalla Samla of Morocco, and Prince Albert of Monaco, 2013 photo: Popsugar

Sheikha Mozah, with Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco and Prince Albert of Monaco, at the investiture of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, 2013.  photo: Popsugar

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Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar; Credit – Wikipedia

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani was the Emir of Qatar from 1995 until 2013. He was born on January 1, 1952, in Doha, Emirate of Qatar, the son of Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar from 1975 to 1995.

Following his initial education in Qatar, Hamad attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, graduating in 1971. Returning to Qatar, he took up several positions in Qatar’s military and government, being named Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defense. He was named Crown Prince in 1977 and led Qatar’s Supreme Planning Council.

In 1992, Hamad’s father handed over much of the day-to-day responsibility to his son, while remaining Emir and Head of State. In June 1995, while Hamad’s father was out of the country, he staged a coup in June 1995, overthrowing his father and declaring himself the new Emir of Qatar. During Hamad’s reign, Qatar saw significant growth in natural gas production and more prominence on the world stage. He was a primary contributor to establishing the Al Jazeera news network and the Qatar Investment Authority. The QIA holds assets of over US$ 170 billion, with investments in several major corporations including Royal Dutch Shell, Volkswagen, and the Harrods Group, as well as real estate holdings around the world.

Sheikh Hamad on a state visit to the UK, 2010. photo: Zimbio

Sheikh Hamad on a state visit to the UK, 2010.  photo: Zimbio

Sheikh Hamad travelled extensively, promoting diplomatic ties with countries both within the region and elsewhere. He spent significant time in the United Kingdom, having several private properties there. Hamad was typically accompanied by his second wife Sheikha Mozah who has taken on a much more public role than his other wives who, in keeping with tradition, are seldom seen in public.

On June 25, 2013, after eighteen years as Emir, Sheikh Hamad publically announced his abdication in favor of his son Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa. Read more about the abdication here.

Sheikh Hamad has three wives and a total of 24 children.

First Wife: Sheikha Mariam bint Muhammad Al Thani, his first cousin. They had eight children:

  • Sheikh Mishaal bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani
  • Sheikh Sheikh Fahd bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani
  • Sheikha Aisha bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani
  • Sheikha Mashael bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani
  • Sheikha Fatima bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani
  • Sheikha Rawdah bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani
  • Sheikha Hussah bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani
  • Sheikha Sara bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani

Second Wife: Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned. They married in 1977, and had seven children:

Third Wife: Sheikha Noora bint Khalid Al-Thani, his first cousin. They had nine children:

Sheikh Hamad and Sheikha Mozah with The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, 2010. photo: Zimbio/Bauer Griffin

Sheikh Hamad and Sheikha Mozah with Queen Elizaneth II and The Duke of Edinburgh, 2010. photo: Zimbio/Bauer Griffin

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