© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck; Credit – Wikipedia

November 27, 1635 – Birth of Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon, mistress and morganatic second wife of King Louis XIV of France, at the Château of Lussac-les-Châteaux in Vienne, France
Françoise was first a mistress of King Louis XIV and became his morganatic second wife after the death of his first wife. She founded the Maison Royale de Saint-Louis, endowed by Louis XIV in Saint-Cyr, France. The Maison Royale was designed to be a school for girls from poorer noble families, much as Françoise had been in her childhood. Following Louis XIV’s death, Françoise retired to Saint-Cyr where she died and was buried in the school’s chapel.
Unofficial Royalty: Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon

November 27, 1640 – Birth of  Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, mistress of King Charles II of England, born Barbara Villiers in the parish of St. Margaret’s, Westminster, London, England
In 1659, Barbara married Roger Palmer, later 1st Earl of Castlemaine. At the end of 1659, Roger and his new wife left with other supporters of the exiled  King Charles II of England, joining him in the Netherlands. In 1660, Barbara became Charles’ mistress and continued as his mistress when Charles II returned to England later that year. Barbara gave birth to six children, some of them, possibly all, were the children of Charles II. Among Barbara’s descendants are Diana, Princess of Wales; Sarah, Duchess of York; the Mitford sisters; philosopher Bertrand Russell; and British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden. In 1673, King Charles II cast Barbara aside and took Louise de Kérouaille as his newest favorite mistress. Barbara eventually reconciled with King Charles II and he enjoyed an evening in her company a week before he died in February 1685.
Unofficial Royalty: Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, mistress of King Charles II of England

November 27, 1676 – Birth of Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont in Waldeck, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in Hesse, Germany
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.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont

November 27, 1698 – Birth of Countess Marianne von Thun-Hohenstein, the second of the four wives of Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein
On February 3, 1716, seventeen-year-old Marianne married the widowed Prince Josef Johann Adam. The marriage did not even last a month. Three weeks after the marriage, on February 23, 1716, Marianne died in Vienna and was buried in the Old Crypt at the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic.
Unofficial Royalty: The Four Wives of Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein

November 27, 1757 – Birth of Mary Robinson, mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom, born Mary Darby in Bristol, England
Mary Robinson was a noted English poet and actress who became the first mistress of the future King George IV, while he was still Prince of Wales. Their relationship lasted just two years. Her first book of poetry, Poems By Mrs. Robinson,  was published in 1775. She soon caught the attention of Georgina Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire who became somewhat of a patron to Mary, sponsoring the publication of Mary’s second book of poetry, Captivity. While performing as Perdita in an adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Winter Tale in 1779 at the Drury Lane Theater in London, Mary caught the attention of The Prince of Wales who attended a performance and was instantly smitten.
Unofficial Royalty: Mary Robinson, Mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom

November 27, 1763 – Death of Princess Isabella of Parma, Infanta of Spain, first wife of the future Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, at Hofburg Palace in Vienna; buried in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria
In 1760, Isabella and Joseph, both 18 year olds, were married. They had two daughters but neither survived childhood. When Isabella was six months pregnant with her second child, she developed a fever and it soon became clear that she had smallpox. Her 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. 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 (article coming soon)

November 27, 1833 – Birth of Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck, at Cambridge House in the Kingdom of Hanover in Hanover, Kingdom of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany, where her father served as Viceroy of Hanover
Full name: Mary Adelaide Wilhelmina Elizabeth
The daughter of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, Mary Adelaide was a male-line grandchild of King George III of the United Kingdom, a first cousin of Queen Victoria, and the mother of Mary of Teck, wife of King George V. Through her daughter Queen Mary, Mary Adelaide is the great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II and an ancestor of the members of the House of Windsor. Mary Adelaide married Prince Francis of Teck and the couple had three sons and one daughter. devoted her life to charity, serving as the first royal patron of Barnardo’s, a charity still in existence, founded by Thomas Barnardo in 1866 to care for vulnerable children and young people. Barnardo’s has a long history of royal patrons and presidents including Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary (Mary Adelaide’s daughter), Queen Elizabeth II, Diana, Princess of Wales, and Queen Consort Camilla.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck

November 27, 1896 – Death of Elisabeth of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Princess of Lippe, wife of Leopold III, Prince of Lippe, in Niederkrossen, then in the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia; buried at the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt, then in the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia
In 1852, 18-year-old Elisabeth married 30-year-old Leopold III, Prince of Lippe but their marriage was childless. Elisabeth used all the means at her disposal for charitable causes. She published a booklet with Bible verses for every day of the year and designed wall decorations with Bible verses. The booklet and wall decorations were mass-produced and the proceeds went to Elisabeth’s charitable causes. Devoted to children, Elisabeth founded a school, the Elisabeth-Anstalt. On December 8, 1875, Elisabeth’s husband Leopold III, Prince of Lippe, aged 54, died  after suffering a stroke. After Leopold’s death, Elisabeth moved into her widow’s residence at the New Palais in Detmold and continued her charitable work. Elisabeth became ill with pneumonia, and died on November 27, 1896, at the age of sixty-three. As per her wishes, Elisabeth was not buried at the traditional burial site of the princely family of Lippe but rather in the princely crypt at the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt, then in the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia, where members of her birth family were buried.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Princess of Lippe

November 27, 1908 – Death of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia, son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, in Paris, France; the first to be interred in the newly built Grand Ducal Mausoleum adjacent to the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia
Alexei is most well-known for his coast-to-coast official visit to the United States in 1871 where one of the highlights was buffalo hunting with Buffalo Bill Cody, General George Armstrong Custer, and General Philip Sheridan. Being the fourth of six sons, Alexei had a career in the Russian Imperial Navy. He was ultimately promoted to Admiral-General and Chief of the Fleet and Naval Department and Chairman of the Admiralty Board. At the end of the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, when the Russian naval fleet was defeated, Alexei was dismissed from all naval posts.  He then spent most of the time in Paris, France in a house he had bought in 1897. There he welcomed writers, painters, actors, and actresses. He loved living in Paris and was a familiar figure in restaurants and theaters. He died of pneumonia on November 27, 1908, in Paris at the age of 58.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia

November 27, 1955 – Birth of Andreas, titular 8th Prince of Leiningen, pretender to the Headship of the House of Leiningen, and the heir to his brother Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen, one of the disputed pretenders to the Headship of the Russian Imperial Family and the throne of Russia since 2013, in Frankfurt am Main, then in West Germany, now in the German state of Hesse
The Monarchist Party of Russia recognizes Andreas’ Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen as the heir to the Russian throne and the Head of the Russian Imperial House. The claim will pass to Andreas and his descendants born of equal marriages upon the death of Karl Emich, and on the condition that they should convert to Russian Orthodoxy. There is no indication that Andreas or any of his children, who are Lutheran, have any interest in this claim. In 1981, Andreas married Princess Alexandra of Hanover, the sister of Prince Ernst August (V) of Hanover, and the couple had three children.
Unofficial Royalty: Andreas, 8th Prince of Leiningen

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.

© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Dagmar of Denmark, Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

November 26, 1504 – Death of Queen Isabella I of Castile and León, wife of King Ferdinand of Aragon, mother of Catherine of Aragon, at Medina del Campo, Spain; buried at the Capilla Real in Granada, Spain
Isabella was the wife of King Ferdinand of Aragon and the mother of Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII of England. Her great-grandfather was John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III of England. The marriage of Queen Isabella I of Castile and León (reigned 1474 – 1504) and King Ferdinand II (Fernando in Spanish) of Aragon (reigned 1479 – 1516) led to the political unification of the Kingdom of Aragon and the Kingdom of Castile and León into the Kingdom of Spain under their grandson King Carlos I of Spain who later also became Charles V, Holy Roman Empire.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Isabella I of Castile and León

November 26, 1647 – Birth of Maria Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, first wife of Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, in Giessen, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, now in Hesse, Germany
In 1671, Marie Hedwig married Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. The couple had seven children. In 1680, Marie Hedwigs’s husband Bernhard and his six brothers, who collectively governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke. One of the seven new duchies was the Duchy of Saxe-Meinigen and Bernhard became the first Duke of Saxe-Meinigen. However, the principality’s coat of arms featured a black hen, which was seen at the time as a symbol of magic and witchcraft. Marie Hedwig made it clear that she would not move to the “land of the black hen”. Nine weeks before the planned move, Marie Hedwig died after giving birth to her youngest child just a few weeks earlier.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

November 26, 1767 – Birth of Prince Platon Alexandrovich Zubov, lover of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia
Prince Platon Alexandrovich Zubov was the last lover of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia. There was a thirty-eight-year age difference between Platon and Catherine. He was also one of the conspirators in the assassination of Catherine II’s son and successor Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, and was one of the fourteen people present at Paul’s murder.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Platon Alexandrovich Zubov, lover of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia

November 26, 1847 – Birth of Princess Dagmar of Denmark, Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia, wife of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia, mother of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, at the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Marie Sophie Frederikke Dagmar
Dagmar, known as Minnie in the family, was the daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark,  the sister of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, and King George I of Greece. In 1864, Minnie became engaged to Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich of Russia, the eldest son and heir of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia. However, Nicholas died from meningitis in 1865, at the age of 21. Minnie married Nicholas’ brother, the new heir to the throne, the future Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia. The couple had six children, including Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia.
Unofficial Royalty: Dagmar of Denmark, Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia

November 26, 1869 – Birth of Queen Maud of Norway, daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, wife of King Haakon VII of Norway, born Princess Maud of Wales at Marlborough House in London, England
Full name: Maud Charlotte Mary
In 1896, Maud married her first cousin Prince Carl of Denmark, the son of Maud’s maternal uncle King Frederik VIII of Denmark. Maud and Carl had one child, Prince Alexander of Denmark, later King Olav V of Norway. In 1905, upon the dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway, the Norwegian government began searching for candidates to become King of Norway. Because of his descent from prior Norwegian monarchs, as well as his wife’s British connections, Carl was the overwhelming favorite. In 1905, Carl officially became King of Norway. He took the name Haakon VII and his son two-year-old son was renamed Olav and became Crown Prince of Norway. Maud never gave up her love for her native country and visited often. However, she did fulfill her duties as Queen of Norway.
Unofficial Royalty: Maud of Wales, Queen of Norway

November 26, 1894 – Wedding of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia and Alix of Hesse and by Rhine in the Grand Church of the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia
It was in 1894, while the family was all gathered in Coburg for the wedding of Alix’s brother Ernst and their first cousin Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, that Nicholas and Alix became engaged. Sadly, in the fall of 1894, Nicholas’ father fell ill. Sensing that there was not much time left, Emperor Alexander III instructed Nicholas to send for Alix. Despite his ailing health, Emperor Alexander III insisted on greeting her in full uniform and gave her his blessing. Alexander III died just ten days later, leaving the 26-year-old Nicholas as the new Emperor of All Russia. Although originally planning to marry the following spring, the wedding was quickly arranged and the couple married on November 26, 1894, in the Grand Church of the Winter Palace.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia and Alix of Hesse and by Rhine
Unofficial Royalty: Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia
Unofficial Royalty: Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia

November 26, 1912 – Death of Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Countess of Flanders, mother of Albert I, King of the Belgians, in Brussels, Belgium; buried at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken near Brussels, Belgium
Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was one-half of the couple who secured the future of the Belgian royal dynasty. Marie was the daughter of Sovereign Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and the sister of the future King Carol I of Romania. In 1867, Marie married Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders, the second surviving son of Leopold I of the Belgians. In 1869, ten-year-old Leopold, Duke of Brabant, the only son and heir of Philippe’s brother King Leopold II, fell into a pond, caught pneumonia, and died. Hoping for a crown prince because only males could inherit the throne, Leopold II and his wife had another child, but the child was a girl. Marie and Philippe’s elder son Baudouin was second in line to the throne until his death in 1891 from influenza. Then Marie and Philippe’s younger son Albert became second in line to the throne. Marie lived long enough to see her son Albert succeed his uncle King Leopold II as King Albert I in 1909. She died from pneumonia at the age of 67.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Countess of Flanders

November 26, 1943 – Death of Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, son of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, killed in action during World War II in Velyki Mosty, Ukraine; buried in the family cemetery at Callenburg Castle in Coburg, Bavaria, Germany
At the end of World War I, the Workers’ and Soldiers Council of Gotha, deposed Hubertus’ father as Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Five days later, Charles Edward signed a declaration relinquishing his rights to the throne but he still remained Head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. In 1932, Hubertus’ elder brother Johann Leopold made an unequal marriage against the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha House Act of March 1, 1855, and had to renounce succession rights for himself and any children from the marriage. As the next son, Hubertus was designated the heir to his father as Head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Hubertus became a member of the Nazi Party and saw action with the German Army on the Eastern Front during World War II. He served as a first lieutenant on the High Command of the Army and was deployed as a Luftwaffe pilot serving as a squadron leader. Hubertus was killed in action in an airplane crash at the age of 34 on November 26, 1943, in Velyki Mosty, in present-day Ukraine.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

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.

© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine; Credit – Wikipedia

November 25, 1120 – Death of William the Ætheling, Duke of Normandy, son and heir of King Henry I of England, on the White Ship
King Henry I of England had two children who survived childhood, a daughter Matilda, sometimes called Maud, who was born in 1102, and a son William Ætheling, born in 1103. On November 25, 1120, Henry I and his son boarded separate ships in Normandy to return to England. William sailed aboard the White Ship along with his illegtimate half-brother Richard of Lincoln, his illegitimate half-sister Matilda, Countess of Perche, Richard d’Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester and many of the heirs of the great estates of England and Normandy.By the time the White Ship was ready to set sail, there were about 300 people on board. William ordered the captain of the White Ship to overtake the ship of King Henry I so that the White Ship would be the first ship to return to England. Unfortunately, the White Ship hit a submerged rock and capsized. William’s bodyguard quickly got the heir to the throne into the safety of a dinghy. However, William Ætheling heard the screams of his half-sister Matilda FitzRoy, Countess of Perche and ordered the dinghy to turn back to rescue her. At this point, the White Ship began to sink and the many people in the water desperately sought the safety of William’s dinghy. The chaos and the weight were too much causing William Ætheling’s dinghy to capsize and sink without a trace. The chronicler Orderic Vitalis claimed that only two people survived the shipwreck by clinging to a rock all night. Eventually, Henry I’s lack of a male heir caused an eighteen-year-long civil war called The Anarchy between his daughter Matilda and his nephew King Stephen who more or less seized the English throne after Henry I’s death.
Unofficial Royalty: William the Ætheling, Duke of Normandy
Unofficial Royalty: The Sinking of the White Ship and How It Affected the English Succession

November 25, 1120 – Death of Matilda FitzRoy, Countess of Perche, illegitimate daughter of King Henry I of England, on the White Ship
See the entry of William the Ætheling, Duke of Normandy above.
Unofficial Royalty: Matilda FitzRoy, Countess of Perche
Unofficial Royalty: The Sinking of the White Ship and How It Affected the English Succession

November 25, 1120 – Death of Richard of Lincoln, illegitimate son of King Henry I of England, on the White Ship
See the entry of William the Ætheling, Duke of Normandy above.
Unofficial Royalty: Ricahrd of Lincoln
Unofficial Royalty: The Sinking of the White Ship and How It Affected the English Succession

November 25, 1253 – Birth of Katherine of England, daughter of King Henry III of England, at the Palace of Westminster in London, England
The description by 13th-century chronicler Matthew Paris that Katherine was “‘mute and useless
though with a most beautiful face” has often been interpreted that she had some kind of intellectual disability or degenerative disease. However, it may indicate that Katherine merely had a stammer or some other speech impediment. Katherine did have some kind of illness during the spring of 1257, that resulted in her death on May 3, 1257, when she was three and a half years old. Her parents King Henry III and Queen Eleanor deeply mourned her death and were emotionally distraught.
Unofficial Royalty: Katherine of England

November 25, 1609 – Birth of Henrietta Maria of France, Queen of England, daughter of King Henri IV of France, wife of King Charles I of England, at Hotel du Louvre in Paris, France
When Henrietta Maria was six months old, her father was assassinated while driving in his carriage through the streets of Paris. Her nine-year-old eldest brother then became King Louis XIII. In 1625, Henrietta Maria married King Charles I of England. The couple had nine children including King Charles II, King James II, Mary, Princess Royal who married Willem II, Prince of Orange (parents of King William III of England), and Princess Henrietta who married her first cousin Philippe, Duke of Orléans, the brother of King Louis XIV of France. To the English people, Henrietta Maria’s Catholic beliefs made her different and dangerous at a time when Catholic plots and subversion were feared. She did not speak English before she married and always had difficulties with speaking and writing English. When the English Civil War started, which eventually led to the execution of King Charles I, Henrietta Maria escaped to France where she settled in Paris with the support of her nephew King Louis XIV. She lived in her native France for the rest of her life.
Unofficial Royalty: Henrietta Maria of France, Queen of England

November 25, 1638 – Birth of Catherine of Braganza, Queen of England, daughter of King João IV of Portugal, wife of King Charles II of England, at the Ducal Palace in Vila Viçosa,  Portugal
Full name: Catarina Henriqueta
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.
Unofficial Royalty: Catherine of Braganza, Queen of England

November 25, 1743 – Birth of Prince William Henry of Wales, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, at Leicester House in London, England
William Henry was one of the two brothers of King George III whose marriages caused the passing of the Royal Marriages Act in 1772. The act stipulated that no descendant of King George II under the age of 25, with the exception of descendants of princesses who married into foreign families, could marry without obtaining the consent of the sovereign. Over the age of 25, those wishing to marry without obtaining consent needed to inform the Privy Council of their intention. They would then be free to marry in a year if no objection had been raised by Parliament. In 1766, William Henry married Maria Waldegrave, Countess Waldegrave, née Walpole. William Henry and Maria’s marriage was held in secret as William Henry’s marriage to a widow of non-royal rank and illegitimate birth would not have been acceptable. King George III was unaware of this marriage until 1772. The Royal Marriages Act was repealed on March 26, 2015, as a result of the 2011 Perth Agreement. The Royal Marriages Act’s provisions were replaced by less limited restrictions that apply only to the first six people in the line of succession to the British throne.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince William Henry of Wales, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh

November 25, 1868 – Death of Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg in Altenburg, Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in Altenburg Cemetery, in 1974, all of the remains in the mausoleum were removed and buried in an unmarked grave elsewhere in the cemetery
Joseph became Duke of Saxe-Altenburg upon his father’s death in 1834. As a ruler, Joseph was very conservative and was against any sort of reform. With unrest spreading through Europe in 1848, Joseph quickly brought in troops to squash the growing demands for a free state in Altenburg. Despite his attempts, the people refused to back him and Joseph was forced to abdicate on November 30, 1848, just two days after the death of his wife. As he had no male heirs, he was succeeded by his younger brother Georg. After his abdication, Joseph moved to Schloss Fröhliche Wiederkunft, his castle in Wolfersdorf, where he spent the next fifteen years restoring and expanding the estate. He lived for nearly 20 years after his abdication, dying at the age of 79.
Unofficial Royalty: Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg

November 25, 1868 – Birth of Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, grandson of Queen Victoria, at Neues Palais in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Ernst Ludwig Karl Albert Wilhelm
Ernst Ludwig was the son of Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Alice and Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. He made an unsuccessful marriage to his first cousin Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The couple had one daughter who died in childhood. They waited until after Queen Victoria’s death to divorce. In 1905, Ernst Ludwig married Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich and they had two sons. He lost his throne after World War I, however, he was allowed to remain in Hesse and retained several of the family’s properties including Schloss Wolfsgarten and the New Palace in Darmstadt.
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

November 25, 1876 – Birth of Victoria Melita of Edinburgh, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, at San Antonio Palace in Malta
Victoria Melita was the daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia. She married her first cousin Grand Ernst Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine, but they divorced after seven years of marriage. After the divorce, she married her Romanov first cousin Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich. The couple had three children. Victoria Melita and Kirill escaped Russia soon after the abdication of their first cousin Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. They lived out their lives at Villa Edinburg, which later became known as the Kirill Palace, in Coburg, now in Bavaria, Germany, and at a villa in Saint-Briac, France.
Unofficial Royalty: Victoria Melita of Edinburgh

November 25, 1879 – Death of Maria Caroline Gibert de Lametz, Princess of Monaco, wife of Florestan, Prince of Monaco, in Monaco; buried at the Cathedral of Monaco in Monaco-Ville, Monaco
Prince Florestan of Monaco attended his half-sister’s wedding celebrations and met Maria Caroline Gibert de Lametz, the half-sister of the groom. Because Florestan’s family did not approve of the marriage, the wedding was quiet and modest. Florestan and Maria Caroline had two children including Charles III, Prince of Monaco. Florestan succeeded his brother Honoré V, who had never married. During Florestan’s reign, the real power lay in the hands of his wife Maria Caroline. She took over the finances of Monaco and ruled Monaco with an iron fist because her indecisive and politically disinclined husband left all affairs of state to her. When Marie Caroline’s son Charles III succeeded his father, she continued to have a role in governing as she was alive for twenty-three years of his thirty-three-year-long reign. The idea of opening a gambling casino in Monaco and developing Monaco into a seaside resort was Maria Caroline’s idea. The Casino de Monte-Carlo, named after Charles III as Carlo is the Italian for Charles (Monte-Carlo = Mount Charles in English), opened in 1865 and saved Monaco from bankruptcy. Fearing that the citizens of Monaco would squander their money on gambling, Maria Carolina had the idea to ban all citizens of Monaco from gambling at the casino. That rule is still in effect.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Caroline Gibert de Lametz, Princess of Monaco

November 25, 1885 – Death of King Alfonso XII of Spain at Palacio Real de El Pardo in Madrid, Spain; buried at the Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real in El Escorial, Spain
17-year-old Alfonso became King of Spain in 1874. During Alfonso XII’s reign, the monarchy was consolidated and government institutions were stabilized, repairing the damage that the recent internal struggles had left. For this Alfonso earned the nickname “The Peacemaker.” In 1878, Alfonso married his first cousin Princess Maria de las Mercedes of Orléans and had three children. On November 25, 1885, three days before his 28th birthday, King Alfonso XII died from tuberculosis, leaving two daughters and his queen pregnant with her third child. It was decided that Alfonso’s widow Maria Christina would rule as regent until the child was born. If the child were a male, he would become king and if the child were a female, Alfonso and Maria Christina’s elder daughter María Mercedes would become queen. On May 17, 1886, a son was born who immediately became King Alfonso XIII.
Unofficial Royalty: King Alfonso XII of Spain

November 25, 1888 – Death of Anne Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland, Queen Victoria’s Mistress of the Robes 1870–1874, at Stafford House in London, England;  buried at Babbacombe Cemetery in Torquay, Devon, England
Born Anne Hay-Mackenzie, the only child of John Hay-Mackenzie of Newhall and Cromarty, she married George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 3rd Duke of Sutherland. In 1870, she succeeded her sister-in-law, Elizabeth Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, as Mistress of the Robes, and served until 1874. The position had also previously been held by her mother-in-law Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland four different times between 1837 and 1861.
Unofficial Royalty: Anne Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland

November 25, 1957 – Death of Prince George of Greece, son of King George I of Greece, in Saint-Cloud, Île-de-France, France; buried at Royal Cemetery, Tatoi Palace, Greece
In 1907, George married Princess Marie Bonaparte, daughter of Prince Roland Bonaparte, a grandson of Lucien Bonaparte, Emperor Napoleon I’s brother. Marie was quite wealthy in her own right, having been left a vast fortune by her mother Marie-Félix Blanc, the daughter of François Blanc who was the principal developer of Monte Carlo and the Monte Carlo Casino. The couple had two children. Following World War II, George often represented his nephew King Paul of Greece on official visits and functions throughout Europe. In 1947, he attended the funeral of King Christian X of Denmark and the wedding of his nephew, Philip Mountbatten (formerly Prince Philippos of Greece) to the future Queen Elizabeth II. In September 1948, he attended the enthronement ceremony of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, and in December 1948, he was named as one of the godparents of Prince Charles, his great-nephew. George and his wife represented the Greek Royal Family at the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. In his late 80’s, George’s health began to deteriorate. He underwent surgery for a strangulated hernia and later developed hematuria. George died, just four days after he and Marie celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince George of Greece

November 25, 1974 – Death of Prince Roberto Hugo of Parma, Duke of Parma in Vienna, Austria
Roberto Hugo was the head of the house of Bourbon-Parma and pretender to the former throne of the Duchy of Parma from 1959 until 1974.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Roberto Hugo of Parma, Duke of Parma

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.

© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

November 24, 1273 – Birth of Alfonso, Earl of Chester, son of King Edward I of England, at Bordeaux, France
Alfonso was the third son and ninth child of Edward I and Eleanor of Castile and was named for his mother’s half-brother King Alfonso X of Castile and León.  His two elder brothers had died so Alfonso was the heir apparent to the throne. Alfonso died at age 11 at Windsor Castle and was buried at Westminster Abbey near the shrine of Edward the Confessor. Had he survived his father, England would have had a King Alfonso.-
Unofficial Royalty: Alfonso, Earl of Chester

November 24, 1326 – Execution of Hugh de Despenser the Younger, favorite of King Edward II of England, in Hereford, England; partially buried at the  family’s Gloucestershire estate and at Hulton Abbey in Abbey Hulton, Staffordshire, England
Hugh Despenser the Elder became King Edward II’s chief administrator, marking the beginning of the Despensers’ increased prominence at court. His son Hugh Despenser the Younger became royal chamberlain in 1318. He then maneuvered himself into the affections of King Edward II and displaced his current favorite Roger d’Amory. Hugh Despenser the Younger made many enemies among the nobility of England. After the overthrow of King Edward II, Hugh Despenser the Younger was charged with high treason and hanged, drawn, and quartered.
Unofficial Royalty: Hugh de Despenser the Younger, favorite of King Edward II of England

November 28, 1499 – Execution by beheading of Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick on Tower Hill outside the Tower of London in London, England; buried at Bisham Priory in Berkshire, England which was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Edward was the third of the four children and the elder of the two sons of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence and Isabel Neville. Edward’s paternal uncles were King Edward IV of England and King Richard III of England. Because he was a potential claimant to the English throne from the House of York during the reign of King Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch of England, Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick was beheaded. His only surviving sibling Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury had the same ending during the reign of King Henry VIII.
Unofficial Royalty: Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick

November 24, 1715 – Death of Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden, wife of King Karl X of Sweden, in Stockholm, Sweden; buried at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden
In 1654, the day after her eighteenth birthday, Hedwig Eleonora married King Karl X Gustav of Sweden. The couple had one son Karl XI, King of Sweden who became king at the age of four after his father died from influenza and pneumonia. Karl X Gustav left specific instructions in his will for the regency of his son. Hedwig Eleonora was to be Regent of Sweden and her son’s guardian until he reached his majority. After the death of her husband, Hedwig Eleonora was the dowager queen for 55 years. She remained visible in Swedish politics and society until her death. Hedwig Eleonora survived her husband by fifty-five years and her son by eighteen years, dying at the age of 79.
Unofficial Royalty: Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden

November 24, 1724 – Birth of Maria Amalia of Saxony, Queen of Spain, wife of King Carlos III of Spain, at Dresden Castle, in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony
Full name: Maria Amalia Christina Franziska Xaveria Flora Walburga
Maria Amalia of Saxony was the wife of King Carlos III of Spain who also was King Carlo VII of Naples from 1735 – 1759 and King Carlo V of Sicily from 1734 – 1759. The couple had thirteen children but only seven survived childhood. Maria Amalia’s husband became King of Spain after the death of his childless half-brother Fernando VI, King of Spain in 1759. Maria Amalia had lived in her husband’s Italian kingdoms for twenty-one years and did not like Spain. On September 27, 1760, a year after arriving in Spain, 35-year-old Maria Amalia died from tuberculosis.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Amalia of Saxony, Queen of Spain

November 24, 1724 – Death of Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried in the Church at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen
In 1706, Ernst Ludwig succeeded his father Bernhard I, as Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. He married twice but only his first marriage to his first cousin Dorothea Maria of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg produced children – five children including two sons who became Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. Ernst Ludwig’s attempts at political reform were ineffective, and he ended up putting his focus back into the arts, composing numerous hymns, and expanding his collection of musical compositions. Several years before his death, he wrote the lyrics for the hymns at his own funeral, with the music composed by Johann Ludwig Bach. Ernst Ludwig died at the age of 52.
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

November 24, 1741 – Death of Queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden at Wrangel Palace in Riddarholmen, Stockholm, Sweden; buried at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden
Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden in her own right, succeeded her unmarried brother Karl XII, King of Sweden in 1718 and reigned for two years before abdicating in favor of her husband Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel who reigned as Fredrik I, King of Sweden. Ulrika and her husband had no children. After Ulrika abdicated, although she had an interest in affairs of state, she withdrew from all visible participation in them, occupying herself with reading, charity, and her many friends. Ulrika Eleonora died from smallpox at the age of 53. Her husband Fredrik I, King of Sweden survived her by ten years.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden

November 24, 1745 – Birth of Maria Luisa of Spain, daughter of Carlos III, King of Spain, wife of Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany also Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor at the Palace of Portici, Naples in the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily, now in Italy
In 1764, Maria Luisa married the future Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor/Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany who was the son of Empress Maria Theresa, in her own right Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary, Queen of Croatia, and Queen of Bohemia, and Francis Stephen, Holy Roman Emperor, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Duke of Lorraine. Maria Luisa and Leopold had sixteen children. Leopold was elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1790 after the death of his childless brother Joseph. Maria Luisa became Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Hungary, and Queen of Bohemia. Because his elder brother Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor had no children, Leopold became the founder of the main line of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Luisa of Spain, Grand Duchess of Tuscany

November 24, 1785 – Death of Friederike of Württemberg, Princess of Holstein-Gottorp, wife of the future Peter I, Grand Duke of Oldenburg, in Vienna, Austria; initially buried in the chapel at Eutin Castle in Schleswig-Holstein, in 1790 her remains were moved to the newly built Ducal Mausoleum in Saint Gertrude’s Cemetery in Oldenburg, Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
At just 15 years old, Friederike married Prince Peter of Holstein-Gottorp (later Duke Peter I of Oldenburg) on June 6, 1781. The marriage was promoted by her sister Sophie, who was married to the future Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, and was intended to help strengthen the relationship between Württemberg and Russia. Friederike and Peter had two surviving children. Several weeks after having given birth to a stillborn son, Friederike died at the age of 20.
Unofficial Royalty: Friederike of Württemberg, Princess of Holstein-Gottorp

November 24, 1825 – Birth of Countess Julia Hauke, Princess of Battenberg, morganatic wife of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine, in Warsaw, Poland
Full Name: Julia Teresa Salomea
Julia Hauke was the wife of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine, the founder of the Battenberg/Mountbatten branch of the Grand Ducal family of Hesse and by Rhine. As her marriage was morganatic, Julia did not become a Princess of Hesse and by Rhine. Instead, her brother-in-law, Grand Duke Ludwig III of Hesse and by Rhine, created her Countess of Battenberg, with the style Illustrious Highness. Her children took their titles from her, becoming Counts and Countesses of Battenberg. Seven years later, the Grand Duke elevated Julia and her children to the rank of Prince/Princess, with the style Serene Highness. However, they remained ineligible for the Grand Ducal throne. Julia and Alexander’s son Henry married Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Beatrice and through this marriage, they are ancestors of the Spanish royal family. Their son Louis married Queen Victoria’s granddaughter Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine. Louis and Victoria were the grandparents of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and the future monarchs of the United Kingdom will be their descendants.
Unofficial Royalty: Countess Julia Hauke, Princess of Battenberg

November 24, 1848 – Death of William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (Lord Melbourne), Queen Victoria’s first Prime Minister, at Brocket Hall, his country home near Hatfield in Hertfordshire, England; buried at St. Etheldreda Church in Old Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England
In June 1837, King William IV died and he was succeeded by his 18-year-old niece Queen Victoria. Victoria never knew her father Prince Edward, Duke of Kent as he died when she was eight months old. Lord Melbourne was her first Prime Minister. In Queen Victoria, Melbourne had the child, the companion, and the affection he craved. In Melbourne, Queen Victoria had the father figure she never had. Their close relationship was founded in Melbourne’s responsibility for tutoring the young queen in the world of politics and instructing her in her role but the relationship was much deeper. Queen Victoria came to regard Lord Melbourne as a mentor and personal friend and he was given a private apartment at Windsor Castle. He resigned as Prime Minister in August 1841 after a series of parliamentary defeats. Melbourne and Queen Victoria said a private goodbye on the terrace at Windsor Castle. Victoria cried and Melbourne told her, “For four years I have seen you daily and liked it better each day.” In October 1842, Melbourne suffered a stroke which considerably weakened him. He lived out his life at Brocket Hall, his country home near Hatfield in Hertfordshire, England where he died at the age of 69.
Unofficial Royalty: William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne

November 24, 1916 – Death of Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau, second wife of Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg, in Königstein im Taunus, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Hesse, Germany; buried with her husband at the burial chapel of Schloss Weilburg, the former residence of the House of Nassau and Dukes of Nassau-Weilburg, in Weilburg, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Hesse
Through their mothers who were sisters, Adelheid-Marie was the first cousin of King Frederick VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, King George I of Greece, Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia, Crown Thyra Princess of Hanover, and Prince Valdemar of Denmark. Adelheid-Marie married the future Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg in 1851. The couple had two surviving children including Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Adelheid-Marie died at the age of 82.
Unofficial Royalty: Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

November 24, 1960 – Death of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, daughter of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia, in Toronto, Canada; buried at York Cemetery in Toronto, Canada
Olga, the sister of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, was in an unsuccessful marriage with Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg. At a military review, Olga saw a tall, handsome man in the uniform of the Blue Cuirassier Guards, Nikolai Alexandrovich Kulikovsky from a minor noble family, and their eyes met. Olga’s brother Grand Duke Michael arranged for Nikolai and his sister Olga to meet. After years of turmoil with Olga begging for a divorce and then asking her brother Nicholas II for permission to marry Nikolai, the couple was finally married in 1916. Olga and Nikolai had two sons. Olga, Nikolai, and their two sons managed to leave Russia after the Russian Revolution. After living in Denmark, the family moved to Ontario, Canada where Nikolai died in 1958. After her husband’s death, Olga became increasingly infirm. Unable to care for herself, Olga stayed in the Toronto apartment of Russian émigré friends, Konstantin and Sinaida Martemianoff.  On November 21, 1960, Olga slipped into a coma and the last Grand Duchess of Russia died on November 24, 1960, at the age of 78. Olga was buried next to her husband Nikolai at York Cemetery in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia

November 24, 2001 – Death of Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark, Princess of Hesse, Princess of Hanover, sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in a nursing home in Munich, Germany; buried in the cemetery in Schliersee, Germany
Sophie married twice, both descendants of Queen Victoria as she was. Her first husband was Prince Christoph of Hesse, the son of Prince Friedrich Karl of Hesse and Princess Margarete of Prussia, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Prince Christoph was killed in a plane crash during World War II. Her second husband was Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hanover, the son of Ernst August III, Duke of Brunswick, a descendant of King George III through his son Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover and Duke of Cumberland, and Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia, the only daughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor who was a grandson of Queen Victoria.  Sophie visited her brother Prince Philip often. In 1964, she was named as one of the godparents of Philip’s youngest son Prince Edward. In 1994, Sophie and Philip traveled to Jerusalem, where their mother, born Princess Alice of Battenberg, was posthumously honored as Righteous Among the Nations for her efforts to help Jewish families during World War II. In the summer of 2001, with her health failing, Sophie moved to a nursing home in Munich, where she died at the age of 87.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark, Princess of Hesse, Princess of Hanover

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.

© Unofficial Royalty 2023

King Willem III of the Netherlands, Credit – Wikipedia

November 23, 955 – Death of Eadred, King of the English in Frome, Somerset, England; initially buried at the Old Minster in Winchester, England, his remains are now in Winchester Cathedral
Eadred was the son of Edward the Elder, King of the Anglo-Saxons and a grandson of Alfred the Great. In 946, Eadred’s elder brother King Edmund I was murdered while celebrating the feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury at a royal hunting lodge in Pucklechurch, north of Bath, England. Because Edmund’s two sons were very young, he was succeeded by his 23-year-old brother Eadred. Eadred suffered from ill health all his life. He had symptoms similar to the symptoms Alfred the Great, his grandfather also had. Alfred’s contemporary biographer, the Welsh monk Asser, gave a detailed description of his symptoms and modern doctors suspect that he had Crohn’s disease. However, a genetic disease such as porphyria, which Alfred’s descendant King George III may have had, is also a possibility. Eadred’s ill health is often given as the reason he never married. Towards the end of his life, Eadred’s health deteriorated drastically. He had physical difficulties eating and suffered from some kind of physical disability, possibly paralysis. He delegated most of his royal powers to Dunstan, Abbot of Glastonbury and other counselors. Eadred died at the age of 32.
Unofficial Royalty: Eadred, King of the English

November 23, 1503 – Death of Margaret of York, third wife of Charles I, Duke of Burgundy and sister of King Edward IV of England and King Richard III of England, at Mechelen Palace, in Mechelen, then in the County of Flanders, part of the Burgundian State, now in Belgium; buried in the Church of the Cordeliers, the church of the Grey Friars in Mechelen, Margaret’s tomb was destroyed at the end of the 16th century
Margaret was the daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, the leader of the House of York during the Wars of the Roses until his death in battle, and Cecily Neville, both great-grandchildren of King Edward III of England, and the sister of two Kings of England, Edward IV and Richard III. In 1468, she married Charles I (the Bold), Duke of Burgundy but the couple had no children. Charles was killed at the Battle of Nancy in 1477. Margaret remained an influential matriarch in the family and devoted the last years of her life to the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of her husband. Margaret survived her husband Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy by twenty-six years, dying on November 23, 1503, at the age of 57.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy

November 23, 1511 – Death of Anne of York, Lady Howard, daughter of King Edward IV of England; buried at Church of St. Michael the Archangel, in Framlingham, Suffolk, England
Anne married Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey (later 3rd Duke of Norfolk) and they had four children but none survived childhood.  Anne’s husband was the uncle of Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard. After Anne’s death, her widower married Anne Stafford, daughter of the  Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham.
Unofficial Royalty: Anne of York, Lady Howard

November 23, 1709 – Death of  William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, favorite of King William III of England, at Bulstrode Park in Gerrard’s Cross, Buckinghamshire, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Bentinck and his first wife Anne Villiers are ancestors of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom through her mother’s family, specifically through her maternal grandmother born Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck. In 1664, fifteen-year-old Bentinck came to the court of fourteen-year-old Willem III, Prince of Orange, the future King William III of England, as a page. In 1672, Bentinck became Willem III’s chamberlain. Along with his role at the court where he was an important advisor for Willem III, Bentinck also had a military career. Bentinck played a key role in the planning and execution of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which resulted in the deposing of Willem’s uncle and father-in-law King James II of England and Willem and his wife and first cousin becoming King William III and Queen Mary II of England. Bentinck went to England with William and Mary and was generously rewarded for his service with titles and estates. He remained William III’s closest advisor until William III’s death.  When William III’s wife Mary II died from smallpox, it was Bentinck who carried the nearly insensible William from the room. When William III was on his deathbed, he beckoned Bentinck to his bedside. Bentinck bent down and put his ear to William’s mouth but could only distinguish a few words of William’s incoherent speech. William then took Bentinck’s hand and placed it against his heart. Then William’s head fell back, he closed his eyes, took two or three breaths, and died.
Unofficial Royalty: William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, favorite of King William III of England

November 23, 1729 – Death of Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, favorite of Peter I, Emperor of All Russia, in banishment in Beryozovo, Siberia, Russia
Alexander Danilovich Menshikov was a Russian statesman and military leader and a boyhood friend and favorite of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia. In 1697, Peter I traveled incognito to Western Europe on an 18-month tour called the Grand Embassy and Alexander accompanied him. A number of times, in his various positions and situations, Alexander abused his power even though he was well aware of the principles on which Peter I’s reforms were conducted and was Peter I’s right hand in all his endeavors. Alexander’s corrupt practices frequently brought him to the verge of ruin. After Peter I’s death and the two-year reign of Peter’s wife Catherine I, Peter I’s 11-year-old grandson Peter II came to the throne. Alexander Menshikov took the young emperor into his home and had full control over all of his actions. The old nobility, represented by the Dolgorukovs and the Galitzines, united to overthrow Alexander. He was deprived of all his dignities, offices, and wealth, expelled from St. Petersburg, and banished to Siberia with his wife and children. During a smallpox epidemic in Siberia, Alexander died at the age of 56.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, favorite of Peter I, Emperor of All Russia

November 23, 1886 – Birth of Prince Alexander of Battenberg, later Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke, grandson of Queen Victoria, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Full name: Alexander Albert Victor
Alexander was the son of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg.  When World War I started in August of 1914, Alexander’s regiment was under deployment orders, as was the 60th Rifles, the regiment of his brothers Leopold and Maurice. A little more than two months after the war started, Maurice was killed in action. During World War I, his surname was changed to Mountbatten and he was created 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke. In 1917, he married Lady Irene Denison, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Londesbrough and they had one daughter. After World War I, Alexander began a business career and started work as a clerk in the offices of the bank Lazard Brothers. Alexander also worked for the Metropolitan Housing Corporation which controlled many housing estates for artisans, and Alexander eventually took full charge of the social work connected with the estates. Later he became a director of Lever Brothers and several other companies.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke

November 23, 1886 – Death of Marguerite Bellanger, mistress of Emperor Napoleon III, in Villeneuve-sous-Dammartin, France; buried at Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris, France
Unofficial Royalty: Marguerite Bellanger, mistress of Emperor Napoleon III (Unofficial Royalty article coming soon.)

November 23, 1890 – Death of King Willem III of the Netherlands at Het Loo, near Apeldoorn, the Netherlands; buried at Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, The Netherlands
In 1839, Willem married his first cousin Sophie of Württemberg. Willem and Sophie had three sons, but they all predeceased their father. On the death of his father in 1849, Willem succeeded as King of the Netherlands. After Sophie’s death in 1877, Willem was eager to marry again to ensure the future of the House of Orange. In 1879, 61-year-old Willem married 20-year-old Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Emma had a positive influence on Willem and the marriage was extremely happy. The last decade of Willem’s life was definitely the best years of his reign. Willem and Emma had one daughter, Wilhelmina, who succeeded her father. In 1888, King Willem III’s health began to decline. When it became apparent that Willem could no longer reign, Emma was sworn in as Regent. On November 23, 1890, 73-year-old King Willem III died and ten-year-old Wilhelmina became Queen. Emma took over as Regent for her daughter until Wilhelmina’s eighteenth birthday in 1898.
Unofficial Royalty: King Willem III of the Netherlands

November 23, 1965 – Death of Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of the Belgians, wife of King Albert I of the Belgians, at Stuyvenberg Castle in Laeken, in Brussels, Belgium; buried at the Royal Crypt in the Church of Our Lady in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
Elisabeth was the daughter of Karl-Theodor, Duke in Bavaria (a grandson of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria), and his second wife, Infanta Maria Josepha of Portugal (a daughter of King Miguel I of Portugal). She was named after her father’s sister Empress Elisabeth “Sisi” of Austria. In 1900, Elisabeth married the future Albert I, King of the Belgians, and had three children. In 1909, Albert and Elisabeth became King and Queen of the Belgians, following the death of Albert’s uncle, King Leopold II. Elisabeth took on a much more public role than her predecessors, getting involved with many charities and organizations, particularly those in the arts and social welfare.  In 1934, Elisabeth’s husband was killed in a mountain climbing accident and was succeeded by their elder son King Leopold III. Elisabeth withdrew from public life, so as not to hinder the efforts of her daughter-in-law, now Queen Astrid. However, in August 1935, Astrid was killed in an automobile accident. Elisabeth returned to public life, doing her best to support her son and his young family, and resuming her position as the first lady of the land. Elisabeth died at the age of 89.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of the Belgians

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.

© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Ercole III, Duke of Modena and Reggio; Credit – Wikipedia

November 22, 1392 – Death of Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland, Marquess of Dublin, 9th Earl of Oxford, favorite of King Richard II of England, in or near Louvain, Duchy of Brabant, now in Belgium, from injuries sustained during a boar hunt; buried at Colne Priory, the burial site of the Earls of Oxford, in Earls Colne, Essex, England
In 1376, Robert married Philippa de Coucy, daughter of Enguerrand VII, Lord of Coucy and Isabella of England, the eldest daughter of King Edward III of England. Robert was often at court in his role as Lord Great Chamberlain and as the husband of King Richard II’s first cousin. He quickly became a favorite of the young king and a member of the Privy Council. Robert became very unpopular with the other nobles and his close relationship with Richard II was one of the causes for the emergence of organized opposition to Richard called the Lords Appellant. In 1387, the Lords Appellant launched an armed rebellion against King Richard II and defeated an army under Robert de Vere at the Battle of Radcot Bridge on the River Thames, outside Oxford. Robert fled to France and was attainted, found guilty of treason, lost his titles and land, and sentenced to death in absentia. In 1392, in Louvain, Duchy of Brabant, now in Belgium, 30-year-old Robert de Vere died in exile and poverty from the wounds received while hunting a wild boar.
Unofficial Royalty: Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland, Marquess of Dublin, 9th Earl of Oxford, favorite of King Richard II of England

November 22, 1515 – Birth of Marie of Guise, Queen of Scots, second wife of James V, King of Scots, mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, at Bar-le-Duc, Lorraine, France
In 1534, Marie married Louis II d’Orléans, Duke of Longueville in Paris. The marriage was a happy one, but sadly, a short one. Louis died in 1537, leaving Marie a pregnant widow. The couple had two children, but neither survived to adulthood. In 1537, Madeleine of Valois, daughter of King François I of France married James V, King of Scots but Madeleine died six months after the marriage. It was Madeleine’s father, King François I of France, who suggested Marie should marry his widowed son-in-law. Marie and James V married in 1538 and had two sons and a daughter, the future Mary, Queen of Scots, but both sons died in early childhood. Six days after the birth of his daughter Mary, James V died at the age of 30. After Mary’s coronation, Marie was appointed as the principal member of the Council of Regency. In 1548, five-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots set sail for France where she would be raised with her future husband. She would not return to Scotland for thirteen years. Mary’s mother Marie remained in Scotland as the principal member of the Council of Regency.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie of Guise, Queen of Scots

November 22, 1602 – Birth of Elisabeth of France, Queen of Spain and Portugal, daughter of King Henri IV of France, first wife of King Felipe IV of Spain (also Felipe III of Portugal), at the Palace of Fontainebleau in France
In 1610, when Elisabeth was eight-year-old, her father King Henri IV of France was assassinated. Five years later, Elisabeth married the future King Felipe IV of Spain. Elisabeth and Felipe had eight children but only their youngest child, Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain who married King Louis XIV of France, survived childhood. Besides having so many children die young, Elisabeth had three miscarriages. It is very probable that her husband transmitted a venereal disease to Elisabeth that he had contracted with one of his mistresses. This would explain the miscarriages and the many dead infants. Throughout her marriage, Elisabeth suffered in silence over the deaths of her children and her miscarriages. The fact that her husband’s mistresses gave him children made her feel even worse.  Weakened by her multiple pregnancies and miscarriages, Elisabeth died at the age of forty-one, after miscarrying a son.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of France, Queen of Spain and Portugal

November 22, 1727 – Birth of Ercole III d’Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio at the Ducal Palace in Modena, the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, now in Italy
Ercole III d’Este was the last reigning duke from the House of Este that had reigned in the Duchy of Modena and Reggio from 1452 – 1796. In 1741, Ercole married Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, the reigning Duchess of Massa and Carrara, now in Italy. The marriage was made at the insistence of Ercole’s father who wanted the Duchy of Massa and Carrara because of its access to the sea. The marriage was not a happy one, the couple had one surviving daughter and eventually separated. Ercole III was considered an enlightened monarch who continued the reforms started by his father. He improved the infrastructure of his duchy, building bridges and roads. The arts and sciences flourished in the Duchy of Modena and Reggio during Ercole III’s reign. In 1796, Modena was occupied by a French army under Napoleon Bonaparte, who deposed Ercole III, Duke of Modena and Reggio. He was forced to flee to Venice where he died in 1803.
Unofficial Royalty: Ercole III d’Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio

November 22, 1728 – Birth of Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Originally, Margrave of Baden, Karl Friedrich was the first Grand Duke of Baden. In 1805, he fought on the side of the French, gaining territories from the Austrian Empire. In 1806, he joined the Confederation of the Rhine, and upon the end of the Holy Roman Empire, Karl Friedrich declared himself sovereign, as Grand Duke of the newly created Grand Duchy of Baden. He continued to support the French, and in the Peace of Vienna in 1809, and gained more territory from the Kingdom of Württemberg. Through his efforts, Karl Friedrich had quadrupled the size of the Grand Duchy of Baden by the end of his reign.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden

November 22, 1748 – Death of Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, second wife of Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, at Schloss Glücksburg in Römhild, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany, buried in the Castle Church at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany
Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg was the second wife of Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, her third husband whom she married in 1714.  Their marriage was childless. She had previously married her first cousin, Friedrich Casimir Kettler, Duke of Courland (one surviving son), and Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (no children). She died at the age of 74.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

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.

© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Victoria, Princess Royal; Credit – Wikipedia

November 21, 1689 – Birth of Jacques I, Prince of Monaco Torigni-sur-Vire, Normandy, France
Full name: Jacques François Léonor
Born Jacques François Leonor Goyon de Matignon, from a wealthy French noble family, Jacques was the husband of Louise-Hippolyte, Sovereign Princess of Monaco, and was briefly the Sovereign Prince of Monaco.
Unofficial Royalty: Jacques I, Prince of Monaco

November 21, 1761 – Birth of Dorothea Jordan, mistress of King William IV of the United Kingdom and mother of his ten illegitimate children, near Waterford, Ireland
Actress Dorothea Jordan had a 21-year affair with the future King William IV of the United Kingdom. Dorothea and William had ten children together, all of whom were given the surname FitzClarence They married into the British aristocracy and their many descendants include many notable people. Upon the death of Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only legitimate grandchild of King George III, William and the other unmarried sons of King George III were pressured to marry to provide heirs to the throne. William ended his relationship with Dorothea and made a childless marriage with Adelaide of Saxe-Meinigen but he made sure Dorothea was very well-provided for.  Dorothea had one condition to continue receiving her allowance from WIlliam: she could not return to the theater.  When she did return to the theater to help pay the debts of her daughter and son-in-law, her allowance was canceled. Greatly in debt, she sold her house and moved to France to escape her creditors and settled in Saint-Cloud, just outside of Paris where she died virtually penniless.
Unofficial Royalty: Dorothea Jordan

November 21, 1895 – Death of Sir Henry Ponsonby, Private Secretary to Queen Victoria, at Osborne Cottage in the Isle of Wight, England; buried in the churchyard at St. Mildred’s Church in Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England
Henry served as Queen Victoria’s Private Secretary from 1870 – 1895. In 1857, Henry was appointed Equerry to Prince Albert, beginning his service in the Royal Household which would continue until just months before his death in 1895. In 1870, Henry was appointed Private Secretary to Queen Victoria, following the death of his wife’s grandfather Sir Charles Grey. After suffering a stroke several months earlier, Henry formally retired from his positions on May 9, 1895, and died six months later.
Unofficial Royalty: Sir Henry Ponsonby

November 21, 1840 – Birth of Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia, Queen Victoria’s eldest child, at Buckingham Palace in London, England
Full name: Victoria Adelaide Mary
In 1858, Vicky, as she was known, married the future Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia, known as Fritz. The couple had eight children including Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia. Both Prince Albert and Queen Victoria ardently hoped that this marriage would make the ties between London and Berlin closer, and lead to a unified and liberal Germany. However, Vicky and Fritz were politically isolated and their liberal and Anglophile views clashed with the authoritarian ideas of the Minister-President of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck. Despite their efforts to educate their eldest son Wilhelm about the benefits of democracy, he favored his German tutors’ views of autocratic rule and became alienated from his parents. The year 1888 is called “The Year of Three Emperors” in German history. Fritz’s father Wilhelm I died on March 9, 1888, and Fritz succeeded him as Friedrich III. However, Fritz was already gravely ill with cancer of the larynx and lived only three months more, dying at the age of 56. After her husband’s death, Vicky lived at Schloss Friedrichshof, a castle she built in memory of her husband near Kronberg, close to Frankfurt, Germany.
Unofficial Royalty: Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia

November 21, 1860 – Death of Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe at Bückeburg Castle in Bückeburg, Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe, now in the German state of Lower Saxony; buried in the Princely Mausoleum at St. Martini Church in Stadthagen, Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe, now in the German state of Lower Saxony
In 1787, two months after his second birthday, Georg Wilhelm became the reigning Count of Schaumberg-Lippe upon the death of his 64-year-old father. In 1807, after joining the Confederation of the Rhine, sixteen German states joined together in a confederation formed by Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, the County of Schaumberg-Lippe was raised to the Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe and Georg Wilhelm became its first reigning prince. In 1816, Georg Wilhelm married Princess Ida of Waldeck and Pyrmont and the couple had nine children. During the Revolutions of 1848, when there were demands for more participation in government and democracy, Georg Wilhelm gave in to some liberal demands but then changed to a more reactionary course in 1849 by abolishing the new constitution without restoring the old one. George Wilhelm died at the age of 75.
Unofficial Royalty: Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe

November 21, 1868 – Birth of Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg, first husband of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, at Oldenburg Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia
Peter was the only child of Duke Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg and Princess Eugenia Maximilianovna of Leuchtenberg. Alexander Petrovich’s grandfather had married Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, and their children and grandchildren were raised in Russia. Despite his German title, Alexander Petrovich, like his father, had grown up entirely in Russia, served in the Russian military, and was considered part of the Russian Imperial Family. Peter and Olga’s marriage was arranged by their mothers and was a marriage in name only. Two years after their marriage, Olga met Nikolai Kulikovsky, an army officer her own age. Over the years, Olga had continued to ask her brother Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia for permission to marry Nikolai. In 1916, Nicholas II had a change of heart and he officially annulled her marriage to Peter, and Olga and Nikolai were married. After the October Revolution in 1917, Peter along with his father and mother emigrated to France, where he lived in Paris and on a farm near Bayonne, France. In 1922, Peter married Olga Vladimirovna Ratkova-Rognova. Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg died at the age of 55.
Unofficial Royalty: Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg

November 21, 1916 – Death of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria; buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria
Franz Joseph is one of Europe’s longest-reigning monarchs. In 1848, Emperor Ferdinand of Austria abdicated the throne in favor of his 18-year-old nephew. Franz Joseph was now Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, and King of Bohemia. Franz Joseph married Elisabeth, Duchess in Bavaria (Sisi) in 1854. The couple had four children. In 1889, Franz Joseph’s only son Rudolf died in a suicide pact with his mistress. Just nine years, later, Franz Joseph’s wife was assassinated.  In 1914, Franz Joseph’s heir, his nephew Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were victims of an assassination that was one of the causes of World War I. Upon Franz Ferdinand’s death, Archduke Karl, who would be the last Emperor of Austria, became the heir. Karl’s father was Archduke Otto Franz, the second son of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, the younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph. Franz Joseph died in the middle of World War I, at the age of 86.
Unofficial Royalty: Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria

November 21, 1928 – Death of Heinrich XXVII, the 5th Prince Reuss of Gera at Schloss Osterstein in Gera, Germany; buried in the family cemetery in the park of Schloss Ebersdorf in Saalburg-Ebersdorf in Thuringia, Germany
Heinrich XXVII was the last reigning Prince Reuss of Gera, abdicating after the German defeat in World War I, on November 11, 1918. In 1884, Heinrich XXVII married Princess Elise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the daughter of Hermann, 6th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Leopoldine of Baden. Elise’s paternal grandmother was Princess Feodora of Leiningen, the half-sister of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Heinrich XXVII and Elise had five children. After Heinrich XXVII abdicated, the new government of Reuss-Gera made an agreement with Heinrich XXVII that granted him some castles and land. Heinrich died at the age of 70.
Unofficial Royalty: Heinrich XXVII, the 5th Prince Reuss of Gera

November 21, 2002 – Death of Prince Takamado of Japan at the Keio University Hospital in Tokyo, Japan; buried at the Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery in Tokyo, Japan
Takamado was the youngest of the five children of Prince Mikasa of Japan. Takamado’s father Prince Mikasa was the youngest son of Emperor Taishō and the youngest brother of Emperor Hirohito (Shōwa). Takamado worked from 1981 until his death in 2002 as the administrator of the Japan Foundation which promotes Japanese arts, culture, and language exchange around the world. In 1984, he married Hisako Tottori, the daughter of a Japanese industrialist. The couple had three daughters. On November 21, 2002, while playing squash with the Canadian ambassador Robert Wright at the Canadian Embassy, Takamado collapsed due to ventricular fibrillation. He was immediately taken to Keio University Hospital but was already in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest. He was resuscitated but his condition then worsened and soon there was no hope that he would survive. With the consent of his wife, Takamado was removed from life support and died at the age of 47.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Takamado of Japan

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.