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Margherita of Savoy, Queen of Italy, Credit – Wikipedia

January 4, 1825 – Death of Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies in Naples, the Kingdom of Naples, now in Italy; buried at the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples
In 1759, upon the death of his childless half-brother King Ferdinand VI of Spain, Ferdinando’s father King Carlos IV of Naples and Sicily succeeded him as King Carlos III of Spain. Because of treaties, Carlos could not be the sovereign of all three kingdoms. His eldest son Felipe was excluded from the succession because of intellectual disability and his second son Carlos was the heir apparent to the Spanish throne. That left the third son Ferdinando to become King of Naples and King of Sicily. In 1768, Ferdinando married Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria. The couple had 17 children but only seven survived childhood. Four of their five surviving daughters married sovereigns. Ferdinando’s wife Maria Carolina was better educated and more qualified to reign. As part of the marriage contract, Maria Carolina was to have a place on the council of state after the birth of her first son. From 1777 on, Maria Carolina was the de facto ruler of the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily. Ferdinando was deposed twice: once by the revolutionary Parthenopean Republic for six months in 1799 and again by Napoleon in 1805, before being restored in 1816. In 1820, after riots in Sicily, Ferdinando Ferdinando was forced to sign a constitution and appoint his son Francesco as regent of Sicily. This only lasted until 1821, when Austrian troops friendly to Ferdinando occupied Naples. Ferdinando was re-established as an absolute monarch and the constitution was withdrawn. Ferdinando I died from a stroke at the age of 73.
Unofficial Royalty: Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies

January 4, 1836 – Birth of Anna of Saxony, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Tuscany, first wife of Ferdinando IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany, in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony 
Anna of Saxony was the daughter of Johann, King of Saxony. Anna’s father was a close friend of Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany. The two families were linked by several marriages. A marriage between Anna and Leopoldo’s eldest son and heir Ferdinando, Hereditary Grand Duke of Tuscany was negotiated when the future bride and groom were still children. Anna and Ferdinando were married on November 24, 1856, and Anna gave birth to a daughter in 1858. On February 6, 1859, during a trip to Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, now in Italy, Anna miscarried a daughter due to typhoid fever. Four days later, Anna died at the age of twenty-three.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna of Saxony, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Tuscany

January 4, 1926 – Death of Margherita of Savoy, Queen of Italy, wife of King Umberto I of Italy, at  Villa Margherita in Bordighera, Italy; buried at the Pantheon in Rome, Italy
In 1868, Margherita married the future King Umberto I of Italy. They had one child, the future King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy. Margherita became Queen of Italy when her husband ascended to the throne following his father’s death in 1878. Immensely popular with the Italian people, Margherita was very active with many cultural organizations, promoting the arts, and working with the Red Cross. In 1900, Margherita’s husband was assassinated. The throne passed to the couple’s son, Vittorio Emanuele III, and Margherita settled into her new role as Queen Mother. She devoted herself to her charity work and the advancement of the arts in Italy. In 1914, Margherita purchased Villa Etelinda in Bordighera, Italy. The villa was situated in a large park, which is where Margherita had a new house built, named Villa Margherita. For the remainder of her life, she spent several months at Villa Margherita each year, entertaining numerous artists and writers as well as members of her family. Margherita died at her home at the age of 75.
Unofficial Royalty: Margherita of Savoy, Queen of Italy

January 4, 1931 – Death of Louise, Princess Royal, Duchess of Fife, daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, at her home at 15 Portman Square in London, England; first interred at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, later buried with her husband at the private chapel in the mausoleum of Mar Lodge in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Louise was the eldest daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and his wife Alexandra of Denmark. In 1889, she followed the example of her aunt Princess Louise and married a husband from the British nobility, Alexander William George Duff. Duff, as he was called, had become 6th Earl Fife upon the death of his father in 1879. Two days after Louise and Duff’s wedding, Queen Victoria created the groom Duke of Fife and Marquess of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Louise and Duff had a stillborn son and two daughters. As the eldest daughter of the monarch, Louise was created Princess Royal during her father’s reign, in 1905.  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. Louise survived her husband by nineteen years, dying at the age of 63.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise, Princess Royal, Duchess of Fife

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Princess Alice of Albany, Countess of Athlone; Credit – Wikipedia

January 3, 1437 – Death of Catherine of Valois, Queen of England, wife of King Henry V of England, at the Abbey of St. Saviour in Bermondsey, London, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Catherine was the daughter of King Charles VI of France. Most notable of Catherine’s siblings is King Charles VII of France who was the Dauphin helped by Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years War and Isabella of Valois who was the second wife and widow of King Richard II of England. In 1420, Catherine married King Henry V of England. The following year, Catherine gave birth to their only child, the future King Henry VI of England. In 1422, King Henry V died of dysentery, nine days before his 36th birthday and his son King Henry VI at the age of nine months started his 40 years on the throne. Catherine was left a widow at the age of 21. With Catherine being a young widow and with apparently no chance of remarriage, it should not seem unusual that she began an amorous relationship with Owen ap Maredudd ap Tudor, a Welsh soldier and courtier who served in her household. There is much debate as to whether Catherine and Owen married. No documentation of marriage exists and even if they did marry, their marriage would not have been legal due to the act regarding the remarriage of a queen dowager. Owen and Catherine had at least six children, Through their son Edmund Tudor descended King Henry VII of England and the Tudor Dynasty. Through their great-granddaughter Margaret Tudor descended the British royal family and many other European royal families. Catherine died at the age of 36, following the birth of her last child, a daughter who died soon after her birth.
Unofficial Royalty: Catherine of Valois, Queen of England

January 3, 1701 – Death of Prince Louis I of Monaco in Rome, Italy; buried at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco
Nine-year-old Louis became heir apparent to the throne of Monaco when his father Hercule Grimaldi, Marquis of Baux, the only child and the heir of Honoré II, Prince of Monaco, was killed accidentally in a firearms accident. Louis married Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, from a French noble family and the couple had six children. After a reign of fifty-eight years, Honoré II, Prince of Monaco, Louis’ grandfather, died in 1662, and 20-year-old Louis became Prince of Monaco. Following the example of King Louis XIV’s legal codification efforts in France, Louis I issued the Principality of Monaco’s first legal code, known as the Code Louis, in 1678. In 1699, King Louis XIV of France named Louis the ambassador of the King of France to the Holy See in Rome. Louis I, aged 58, died on January 3, 1701, in Rome, then part of the Papal States, from apoplexy, the term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Louis I of Monaco

January 3, 1754 – Birth of Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Oldenburg at Eutin Castle in the Principality of Holstein-Gottorp, now in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Full name: Peter Friedrich Wilhelm
Wilhelm was the first Grand Duke of Oldenburg, although he never formally used the title. By 1777, Wilhelm was suffering from mental illness. An intended engagement to Princess Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt was called off. He lived the remainder of his life in seclusion. Upon his father’s death in 1785, Wilhelm became the reigning Duke of Oldenburg but due to his illness, it was in name only. Instead, his cousin, Peter, Prince-Bishop of Lübeck, served as Regent during his entire reign.
Unofficial Royalty: Peter Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Oldenburg

January 3, 1865 – Death of Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, second wife of Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany at the Chateau Brandýs nad Labem in the Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic; buried at theCapuchin Church in Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria
Maria Ferdinanda’s younger sister Maria Anna was to marry the future Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, son of Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany. However, Maria Anna was so terrified at the idea of meeting her bridegroom that she refused to leave Saxony unless her sister Maria Ferdinanda accompanied her. During the wedding celebrations, Maria Ferdinanda caught the eye of the groom’s father Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany who was twenty-seven years older than Maria Ferdinanda. Four years later, when his son Leopoldo and his wife Maria Anna had not produced any children, Ferdinando decided to marry twenty years after the death of his first wife. He chose Maria Ferdinanda as his second wife and they were married in 1821 but their marriage remained childless. Maria Ferdinanda became a widow at the age of twenty-eight but she never remarried. In 1859, the Grand Ducal family was forced to flee Tuscany because of the wars caused by the Italian unification movement. The Grand Duchy of Tuscany became part of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Maria Ferdinanda lived partly in the Kingdom of Bohemia, part of the Austrian Empire, and also in Dresden at the court of her brother King Johann of Saxony. She survived her husband by forty-one years, dying at the age of 68.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony, Grand Duchess of Tuscany

January 3, 1981 – Death of Princess Alice of Albany, Countess of Athlone, the last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria, at Kensington Palace in London, England; buried at the Royal Burial Grounds, Frogmore in Windsor, England
January 3, 1981 saw the end of an era. On that day the last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria and the longest-lived person of the Blood Royal of the British Royal Family died at the age of 97, one month short of her 98th birthday. Princess Alice of Albany, Countess of Athlone had lived through six reigns: Queen Victoria (grandmother), King Edward VII (uncle), King George V (first cousin and brother-in-law), King Edward VIII (first cousin once removed and nephew by marriage), King George VI (first cousin once removed and nephew by marriage) and Queen Elizabeth II (first cousin twice removed and great-niece by marriage). Princess Alice was the daughter of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, son of Queen Victoria, and Princess Helen of Waldeck-Pyrmont. In 1904, Alice married Prince Alexander of Teck (after 1917 Alexander Cambridge, Earl of Athlone), the brother of Queen Mary, King George V’s wife. The couple had three children. Unfortunately, Alice passed hemophilia to her son Rupert who died from injuries received in a car accident which he probably would have survived had he not had hemophilia.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Alice of Albany, Countess of Athlone

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Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; Credit – Wikipedia

January 2, 1784 – Birth of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Ernst Anton Karl Ludwig
In 1806, Ernst succeeded his father Franz Friedrich Anton as Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Ernst was long content with bachelorhood until his mother insisted he marry to provide the duchy with heirs. In 1817, Ernst married Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. The couple had two sons including Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. Ernst and Louise soon grew apart due to Ernst’s infidelities. After discovering Louise’s affair with her chamberlain in 1824, Ernst forced Louise out of the duchy. She was exiled and permanently cut off from her children. The couple was officially divorced in 1826 and Louise died of cancer in 1831. In 1825, while Ernst and Louise’s divorce proceedings were occurring, Friedrich IV, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Louise’s uncle, died without an heir. This necessitated a rearrangement of the Ernestine duchies. Ernst received Gotha and ceded Saalfeld to Saxe-Meiningen. He subsequently became Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. In 1832, Ernst married his niece Marie of Württemberg, the daughter of his sister Antoinette. The couple had no children and had little in common, but Marie had a loving relationship with her stepsons who were also her first cousins.
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

January 2, 1836 – Birth of Emma Kalanikaumakaʻamano Kaleleonālani Naʻea Rooke, Queen Emma of the Hawaiian Islands, wife of Kamehameha IV, King of the Hawaiian Islands, in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, then in the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands, now in the state of Hawaii

Unofficial Royalty: Emma, Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Islands, wife of King Kamehameha IV

January 2, 1819 – Death of Maria Luisa of Parma, Queen of Spain, wife of King Carlos IV of Spain, at Barberini Palace, Rome, Italy; buried at the Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real in El Escorial, Spain
The daughter of Felipe, Infante of Spain, Duke of Parma (founder of the House of Bourbon-Parma) and Louise Élisabeth of France, Maria Luisa married her first cousin, the future King Carlos IV of Spain in 1765. Maria Luisa had twenty-three pregnancies. Thirteen of the pregnancies resulted in live births, including a set of twins. The other ten pregnancies ended in miscarriages. Of the fourteen children who were born alive, only seven survived childhood. In 1808, after riots and a revolt, King Carlos IV was forced to abdicate in favor of his son King Fernando VII. Less than two months later, Carlos IV and his son Fernando VII were summoned to a meeting with Napoleon I, Emperor of the French where he forced them both to abdicate, declared the Bourbon dynasty of Spain deposed, and installed his brother Joseph Bonaparte as King of Spain. Napoleon kept Carlos and Maria Luisa’s son Fernando VII under guard in France for more than five years until the 1813 Treaty of Valençay provided for the restoration of Fernando VII as King of Spain. After the final defeat of Napoleon in 1815, King Fernando VII refused to allow his parents to return to Spain. Carlos IV and Maria Luisa settled in Rome at the Palazzo Barberini where they both died in 1819.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Luisa of Parma, Queen of Spain

January 2, 1861 – Death of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia, in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany; buried at Friedenskirche (Church of Peace) in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam
Friedrich Wilhelm became King of Prussia upon his father’s death in 1840. As his father had done himself, the new King changed many of his father’s policies – including reducing the censorship of the press and promising to provide a new constitution for the Prussian people. In 1849, the King was offered the title Emperor of the Germans but refused as he did not feel it was the right of the Frankfurt Parliament to offer it. His dream was to instead reestablish the Holy Roman Empire, where a College of Electors would hold the authority to name an Emperor. In 1871, his brother and successor, Wilhelm I, became the first German Emperor (Kaiser). In July 1857, Friedrich Wilhelm suffered several strokes from which he never fully recovered. In October 1858, he appointed Wilhelm, his brother and heir, as Regent. A further stroke in November 1859 left him partially paralyzed and unable to speak, and another stroke in November 1860 left him mostly unconscious. Following one last stroke, King Friedrich Wilhelm IV died at the age of 66.
Unofficial Royalty: King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia

January 2, 2000 – Death of Maria de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Countess of Barcelona, mother of King Juan Carlos of Spain, in La Mareta, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain; buried at the Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial in El Escorial, Spain
The daughter of Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and his second wife Princess Louise of Orléans. Maria Mercedes had a very impressive royal lineage. On her father’s side, she was descended from multiple branches of the Bourbon-Two Sicilies family who ruled in Italy until the late 19th century. On her mother’s side, Maria Mercedes was descended from both recent Spanish and French royalty. In 1935, she married Juan, Count of Barcelona, the heir to the defunct Spanish throne. They had three children including the future King Juan Carlos I of Spain. Maria Mercedes’ adult life was dominated by the actions of Francisco Franco, the Spanish dictator. It was Franco who kept the family from living in Spain and was constantly at odds with Maria Mercedes’ husband. In 1969, Franco ultimately decided that the Spanish monarchy should be restored following his death. As suspected, Franco passed over Juan, Count of Barcelona as his successor in favor of Juan Carlos. In 1976, Maria Mercedes and her husband finally returned to live in Spain. Her husband Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, died of laryngeal cancer on April 1, 1993. Maria Mercedes survived him by nearly seven years, dying of a heart attack at the age of 89.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Mercedes Borbón-Two Sicilies, Countess of Barcelona

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King Louis XII of France; Credit – Wikipedia

January 1, 1515 – Death of King Louis XII of France at the Hôtel des Tournelles in Paris, France; buried at the Basilica of St. Denis near Paris, France 
Louis succeeded his father as Duke of Orléans at the age of three. Although his descent from the French ruling line was somewhat distant, Louis was aware of his close proximity to the throne should the main Valois line become extinct. King Charles VIII died unexpectedly in 1498. Although he and his wife had had several children, none survived him, allowing Louis’ succession as King Louis XII of France. Louis XII married three times. His last wife was 18-year-old Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England and sister of King Henry VIII of England. The 52-year-old Louis XII was still eager to provide himself with a male heir. However, the marriage lasted only four months due to Louis’s death.
Unofficial Royalty: King Louis XII of France

January 1, 1516 – Birth of Margareta Leijonhufvud, Queen of Sweden, wife of King Gustav I of Sweden; at Ekeberg Castle in Närke, Sweden
Margareta was selected as the king’s second wife because she belonged to one of the leading Swedish noble families which created an alliance between the king and one of the most powerful factions of the nobility. Although Margareta was twenty years younger than her husband, she felt very comfortable in her role as Queen of Sweden and had a great influence on King Gustav I Vasa. Margareta gave birth to ten children. Her constant pregnancies took a toll on her health and she died from pneumonia at the age of 35.
Unofficial Royalty: Margareta Leijonhufvud, Queen of Sweden

January 1, 1559 – Death of King Christian III of Denmark and Norway at Koldinghus in Kolding, Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
Christian III lived during the time of the Reformation. After the death of his father, the Catholic Frederik I, the Council of State had a lengthy discussion on whether the Danish throne should go to Christian, Frederik I’s Lutheran son from his first marriage, or Frederik I’s Catholic twelve-year-old son Johann from his second marriage. In 1534, Christian was proclaimed Christian III, King of Denmark at an assembly of Lutheran nobles in Jutland. However, the Council of State, made up of mostly Catholic bishops and nobles, refused to accept Christian III as king. Johann, Frederik’s son from his second marriage, was deemed too young and the council was more amenable to restoring the deposed King Christian II to the throne because he had supported both the Catholics and Protestant Reformers at various times. Christopher, Count of Oldenburg, the grandson of a brother of King Christian I of Denmark and the second cousin of both Christian II and Christian III, led the military alliance to restore King Christian II to the throne. What resulted was a two-year civil war, known as the Count’s Feud, from 1534 – 1536, between Protestant and Catholic forces, that led to King Frederik I’s son from his first marriage ascending the Danish throne as King Christian III. In 1537, Christian III was also recognized as King of Norway. He died on January 1, 1559, aged 55.
Unofficial Royalty: King Christian III of Denmark

January 1, 1728 – Death of Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in Hesse, Germany; first buried at the Stadt-Kirche Bad Wildungen in Bad Wildungen now in the German state of Hesse; in 1962, his remains were transferred to the Princely Burial Chapel at the Church of St. Mary in Netze, a district of Waldeck, now in the German state of Hesse
Friedrich Anton Ulrich was the Count of Waldeck-Pyrmont from 1706 – 1712 and then the first Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont from 1712 – 1728. In 1700, Friedrich Anton Ulrich married Luise of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld and the couple had eleven children. Friedrich Anton Ulrich’s most notable accomplishment was his building program which resulted in considerable indebtedness for the small principality. With the building of the Residenzschloss Arolsen, the town of Arolsen became the main town of the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Friedrich Anton Ulrich died on January 1, 1728, aged 51.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont

January 1, 1766 – Death of James Francis Edward Stuart, the Old Pretender, son of King James II of England, at the Palazzo Muti in Rome, Italy; buried at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City
Upon the death of his exiled father in 1701, James was recognized by King Louis XIV of France as the rightful heir to the English and Scottish thrones. Spain, the Vatican, and Modena recognized him as King James III of England and VIII of Scotland and refused to recognize William III, Mary II, or Anne as legitimate sovereigns. As a result of James claiming his father’s lost thrones, he was attainted for treason in 1702 and his titles were forfeited under English law. After James II lost his throne, the Jacobite (from Jacobus, the Latin for James) movement formed. The goal of the Jacobites was to restore the Roman Catholic Stuart King James II of England/VII of Scotland and his heirs to the thrones of England and Scotland. 1719, James Francis Edward Stuart married Maria Clementina Sobieska. The couple had two sons: Charles Edward Stuart, The Young Pretender, (Bonnie Prince Charlie) and Henry Benedict Stuart, Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. After James’ failures to regain the throne, attention fell upon his son Charles Edward, The Young Pretender, whose Jacobite Rising of 1745 culminated in the final devastating loss for the Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden. James Francis Edward Stuart died at his home, the Palazzo Muti in Rome, on January 1, 1766, aged 77.
Unofficial Royalty: James Francis Edward Stuart
Unofficial Royalty: The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne

January 1, 1808 – Death of Luise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, wife of the future Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin at Ludwigslust Palace in Ludwigslust, then in the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in  Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany; buried in the Luise Mausoleum at Ludwigslust Palace
In 1775, Luise married Friedrich Franz, then the Hereditary Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The couple had six children including Luise Charlotte who married Emil Leopold, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, and had one daughter Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, mother of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Queen Victoria’s husband. Luise became the Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin upon her husband’s accession in 1785. She died at the age of 52.
Unofficial Royalty: Luise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

January 1, 1850 – Death of Friederike of Prussia, Duchess of Anhalt in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany; buried in the Marienkirche in Dessau, after the church was destroyed by bombing during World War II, the Duchess’s remains were moved to the Berenhorst crypt in the Historical Cemetery in Dessau
In 1818, Friederike married Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau. The marriage had been arranged by the Prussian court, and they had been formally engaged since May 1816. Friederike and Leopold had four children. Friederike also became Duchess of Anhalt-Köthen in 1847 when that duchy was inherited by her husband. She died in 1850 at the age of  54. Three years after Friederike’s death, the Dessau and Köthen duchies were joined as one – the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau-Köthen, and in 1863, were merged with the last remaining Anhalt duchy – Anhalt-Bernburg – becoming the unified Duchy of Anhalt, with her husband becoming the first reigning Duke.
Unofficial Royalty: Friederike of Prussia, Duchess of Anhalt

January 1, 1851 – Death of Leopold II, Prince of Lippe in Detmold, Principality of Lippe, now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany; first buried at the Church of the Redeemer in Detmold, later his remains were moved to the Mausoleum at the Büchenberg in Detmold
When Leopold II was just five-years-old, his father Leopold I, Prince of Lippe died at the age of 34. Leopold II’s mother Pauline of Anhalt-Bernburg very capably acted as Regent of the Principality of Lippe until 1820. In 1820, Leopold II married Princess Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. They had nine children including three reigning Princes of Lippe. Leopold, shy by nature, lived a restrained life. He had two passions: hunting and the theater. The Lippe Princely Court Theater (Hochfürstliches Lippisches Hoftheater) he established in Detmold was among the best in the German monarchies. The theater established by Leopold II is still in existence today. Now called the Landestheater Detmold, it is a theater for operas, operettas, musicals, ballets, and stage plays in Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. In 1851, Leopold died at the age of 54.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold II, Prince of Lippe

January 1, 1888 – Death of Marie Friederike of Hesse-Kassel, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, wife of Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried in the Ducal Crypt Chapel in the Meiningen municipal cemetery until 1977 when her remains were removed from the chapel, cremated and buried elsewhere in the cemetery
Marie Friederike married Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in 1825 and the couple had two children. Marie Friederike was the Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen until her husband was forced to abdicate in favor of his son, in 1866 following the defeat of Austria, who he supported, in the Austro-Prussian War. The couple took up residence at the Great Palace in Meiningen, where they would live for the rest of their lives. Marie Friederike died in 1888 at the age of 84.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie Friederike of Hesse-Kassel, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

January 1, 1952 – Birth of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar in Doha, Qatar
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani was Emir of Qatar from 1995 until 2013. Sheikh Hamad traveled extensively, promoting diplomatic ties with countries both within the region and elsewhere. He spent a significant amount of time in the United Kingdom, having several private properties there. He was typically accompanied by his second wife Sheikha Mozah who took on a much more public role than his other two wives who, in keeping with tradition, were seldom seen in public. On June 25, 2013, after eighteen years as Emir, Sheikh Hamad announced his abdication in favor of his son Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa.
Unofficial Royalty:  Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar

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Charles Edward Stuart, known as Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Young Pretender; Credit – Wikipedia

December 31, 1510 – Death of Bianca Maria Sforza, Holy Roman Empress, Archduchess of Austria, third wife of the three wives of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, in Innsbruck, County of Tyrol, now in Austria; buried at the Abbey Church in the Crypt of the Princes of Tyrol at Stams Abbey in Stams, County of Tyrol, now in Austria
Bianca Maria Sforza was the third wife of the three wives of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria. Bianca Maria had a miscarriage shortly after her marriage and it seems that she was never able to conceive again. She was a stepmother to the two surviving children of Maximilian and his first wife Mary of Burgundy. They were relatively close in age to Bianca Maria and she very much liked them. After 1500, Maximilian lost all interest in Bianca Maria. She lived with her own court of 150 – 200 people from Milan, traveling to various castles. In the last years of her life, Bianca Maria suffered from a debilitating illness, and died on December 31, 1510, aged 38, in Innsbruck, County of Tyrol, now in Austria. Maximilian was not in Innsbruck at the time of her death and did not return to attend her funeral.
Unofficial Royalty: Bianca Maria Sforza, Holy Roman Empress, Archduchess of Austria

December 31, 1705 – Death of Catherine of Braganza, Queen of England, wife of King Charles II of England, at the Palace of Bemposta in Lisbon, Portugal; originally buried at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, Portugal; re-interred at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal
The daughter of King João IV of Portugal, in 1662, Catherine married King Charles II of England in two ceremonies, a private Catholic one, and a public Anglican one.  Catherine’s Roman Catholicism made her an unpopular queen. Despite fathering at least 16 illegitimate children with his mistresses, Charles had no children with Catherine.  It is thought that Catherine did have at least three miscarriages.  Despite having many mistresses, Charles insisted that Catherine be treated with respect, and sided with her over his mistresses when he felt she was not receiving the respect she was due. After the death of King Charles II in 1685 and the accession of Charles’ brother King James II, Catherine continued to live in England. Catherine remained in England after King James II was overthrown in 1688 by the Glorious Revolution and his daughter and her husband and first cousin took the throne as King William III and Queen Mary II. However, Catherine found that her position with the new monarchs deteriorated and she decided to return to Portugal in 1693. She was an important female figure to her nephew, the future King João V of Portugal after his mother died. When her brother King Pedro II grew tired of government, Catherine served as his regent. Catherine died at her Palace of Bemposta in Lisbon, Portugal at the age of 67.
Unofficial Royalty: Catherine of Braganza, Queen of England

December 31, 1720 – Birth of Charles Edward Stuart, known as Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Young Pretender, at Palazzo Muti in Rome, Italy
Charles Edward Stuart was the elder of the two sons of James Francis Edward Stuart, The Old Pretender, who was the son of the exiled King James II of England/VII of Scotland. As the first-born son of the titular King James III of England/VIII of Scotland, Charles was styled as Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall from birth. Charles Edward Stuart was the instigator of the Jacobite rising of 1745 which culminated in the Battle of Culloden. The superior British forces needed just 25 minutes to defeat the Jacobite forces in the Battle of Culloden. Between 1,500 and 2,000 Jacobites were killed or wounded while the British losses were much lighter, with 50 dead and 259 wounded. After the Battle of Culloden, there were no further Jacobite uprisings. In 1766, when Charles’s father James Francis Edward died, Charles was still unmarried and his only sibling was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, so Charles decided to find himself a bride so the Stuart line could be continued. In 1772, 52-year-old Charles married 20-year-old Princess Louise of Stolberg-Gedern. The marriage was unsuccessful and produced no children. With the deaths of Charles Edward Stuart in 1788, and his younger brother Cardinal Henry Benedict Stuart in 1807, the male line of the British Royal House of Stuart became extinct. The Jacobite line of succession to the British throne passed to King Carlo Emanuele IV of Sardinia through the line of Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans, the youngest child of King Charles I of England. The Jacobite line of succession has proceeded over the years to the House of Savoy, House of Austria-Este, and to the House of Wittelsbach. It appears in the future, that it will proceed to the House of Liechtenstein.
Unofficial Royalty: Charles Edward Stuart, The Young Pretender, Bonnie Prince Charlie
Unofficial Royalty: The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne

December 31, 1741 – Birth of Princess Isabella of Parma, Infanta of Spain, first wife of the future Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, at Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid, Kingdom of Spain
Princess Isabella of Parma, Infanta of Spain was the first wife of the future Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor who was also the ruler of the Habsburg hereditary lands. Isabella died before Joseph became Holy Roman Emperor. Joseph and Isabella had two daughters but neither survived childhood. While pregnant with her second child, Isabella developed smallpox. Isabella’s high fever induced labor three months early, and on November 22, 1763, she gave birth to a premature second daughter. The baby was baptized Maria Christina, as Isabella requested, but died the same day. Following the birth, Isabella was rarely conscious but during her moments of consciousness, she displayed extraordinary courage. Joseph, who had already had smallpox, stayed by her side and took care of her without a break. On November 27, 1763, one month and three days before her 22nd birthday, Isabella died from smallpox.
Unofficial Royalty: Isabella of Parma, Archduchess of Austria

December 31, 1834 – Birth of Kapiʻolani, Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Islands was the wife of Kalākaua, King of the Hawaiian Islands, born Kapiʻolani Napelakapuokakaʻe in Hilo on the island of Hawaii, then in the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands, now in the state of Hawaii

Unofficial Royalty: Kapiʻolani, Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Islands

December 31, 1885 – Birth of Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, wife of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, at the Gut Grünholz in Thumby, Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein, now in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Full name: Viktoria Adelheid Helene Luise Marie Friederike
In 1905, Viktoria Adelheid married Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the only son of Queen Victoria’s youngest son Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont. The couple had five children including Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the mother of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. After World War I, Charles Edward abdicated from the throne of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. During the period between the two World Wars, Charles Edward became active in the Nazi Party. After World War II, in 1949, a denazification appeals court classified Charles Edward as a Nazi Follower, Category IV. He was heavily fined and almost bankrupted. After World War II, some of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha properties that were now in East Germany were seized. The family was left with Schloss Callenberg in Coburg, Bavaria, Germany and Schloss Greinburg an der Donau in Grein, Austria. After her husband’s death in 1954, Viktoria Adelheid spent time traveling, often with her sister-in-law, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone.
Unofficial Royalty: Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

December 31, 1893 – Birth of Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony, Margrave of Meissen, pretender to the former throne of Saxony, and head of the House of Saxony, from 1932 until his death in 1968, in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony
Full name: Friedrich Christian Albert Leopold Anno Sylvester Macarius of Saxony
Friedrich Christian was the second son of the last King of Saxony, King Friedrich August III who lost his throne after World War I. In 1932, Friedrich Christian became heir apparent to the former throne of Saxony when his elder brother Georg renounced his rights to the throne and entered the priesthood. Nine years later, his father died and Friedrich Christian became Head of the House of Saxony and pretender to the former throne. At that time, he took on the historic title Margrave of Meissen.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony, Margrave of Meissen

December 31, 1935 – Birth of King Salman of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
King Salman is the current King of Saudi Arabia having succeeded his half-brother King Abdullah in 2015. King Salman initially named his younger half-brother Muqrin as Crown Prince. However, in April 2015, he removed Muqrin and instead named his nephew Muhammad bin Nayef as Crown Prince.  In June 2017, King Salman removed his nephew Muhammad bin Nayef from all positions and named his son Mohammad bin Salman as Crown Prince. King Salman has made headlines for his extravagant trips to the United States and the southern coast of France, traveling with an entourage numbering in the hundreds. He has also been the source of much media speculation as to his health. Some media reports have suggested that the King is suffering from some form of dementia, possibly Alzheimer’s Disease. There has been no formal statement from the Royal Court regarding these claims. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is considered the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia and has led many reforms within the country, as well as creating a number of controversies,
Unofficial Royalty: King Salman of Saudi Arabia

December 31, 2016 – Death of Prince Dmitri Romanov in a hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark; buried at Vedbæk Cemetery in Rudersdal, Denmark
Prince Dmitri Romanov, a great-great-grandson of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, was one of the disputed pretenders to the Headship of the Russian Imperial Family from 2014 – 2016.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Dmitri Romanov

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