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Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, Credit – Wikipedia

October 1, 959 – Death of Eadwig, King of the English at Gloucester, England, buried in Winchester Cathedral in Winchester, England
Fifteen-year-old Eadwig became king in 955 upon the death of his uncle Eadred. During his short reign, he had many disputes with nobles and men of the church, including Dunstan, a future Archbishop of Canterbury and saint, who was then Abbot of Glastonbury. Eadwig died at the age of nineteen in Gloucester in what some consider suspicious but unknown circumstances. He was buried in the New Minster in Winchester but nothing is known about the later fate of his remains. As Eadwig did not have children, his brother Edgar succeeded him and reunified England.
Unofficial Royalty: King Eadwig of the English

October 1, 1207 – Birth of King Henry III of England at Winchester Castle in Winchester, England
King Henry III became king on October 18, 1216, at the age of nine, and reigned 56 years, 29 days, until his death in 1272. Among British monarchs, only King George III, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth II have reigned longer. He was the first child of King John and his second wife Isabella, Countess of Angoulême, and named after King John’s father, King Henry II.
Unofficial Royalty: King Henry III of England

October 1, 1361 – Death of Margaret of Windsor, daughter of King Edward III of England, buried at Abingdon Abbey in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England
In 1359, 11-year-old Margaret married 12-year-old John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. After their marriage, Margaret and her husband John remained at the royal court. Sadly, 15-year-old Margaret, Countess of Pembroke died unexpectedly, sometime after October 1, 1361, the last date there is a record that she was living. John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke was in royal service for the rest of his short life, mostly as a military commander. He died in 1375 at the age of 27.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of Windsor, Countess of Pembroke

October 1, 1553 – Coronation of Queen Mary I of England at Westminster Abbey in London, England

Wikipedia: Coronation of Mary I of England

October 1, 1685 – Birth of Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor, at Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria

Unofficial Royalty: Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor (Unofficial Royalty article coming soon.)

October 1, 1754 – Birth of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia at the Summer Palace of Empress Elizabeth in St. Petersburg, Russia
Paul was the son of Grand Duchess Catherine Alexeievna (born Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, later Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia), and was recognized by Catherine’s husband, Grand Duke Peter Feodorovich (born Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp, later Peter III, Emperor of All Russia, as his son although he may be was Sergei Vasilievich Saltykov. His first wife Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt (Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna) died in childbirth with her only child. Paul’s second wife was Sophia Dorothea of Württemberg (Maria Feodorovna) with whom he had ten children. Paul became Emperor of All Russia upon the death of his mother Catherine II (the Great) in 1796. Paul agreed with the practices of autocracy and did not tolerate freedom of thought or resistance against autocracy. Because he overly taxed the nobility and limited their rights, the Russian nobles, by increasing numbers, were against him. Paul’s reign was becoming increasingly despotic. Eventually, the nobility reached their breaking point. On the night of March 23, 1801, at the Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg, Russia, a group of conspirators charged into the bedroom of 46-year-old Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, forced him to abdicate, and then strangled and trampled him to death.
Unofficial Royalty: Paul I, Emperor of All Russia
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia

October 1, 1794 – Birth of Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Leopold Friedrich became heir-apparent to the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau upon his father’s death in 1814 and became the reigning Duke of Anhalt-Dessau upon his grandfather’s death in 1817. In 1847, Leopold Friedrich inherited the Duchy of Anhalt-Köthen upon the death of a distant cousin. After nearly six years as the reigning Duke of two separate duchies, they were united in 1853 as the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau-Köthen. Ten years later, he also inherited the Duchy of Anhalt-Bernburg from another distant cousin. Now, with all of the Anhalt duchies back under one ruler, they were united as the Duchy of Anhalt in 1863.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt

October 1, 1833 – Birth of Elisabeth of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Princess of Lippe, wife of Leopold III, Prince of Lippe, in Rudolstadt, then in the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia

Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Princess of Lippe (Article coming soon)

October 1, 1919 – Death of Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, at Baden-Baden, Germany; buried at Schloss Altenstein, the summer residence of the Dukes of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Bad Liebenstein in the German state of Thuringia.
Charlotte was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and the daughter of Victoria, Princess Royal and Friedrich III, German Emperor.  She married her second cousin Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and they had one daughter Feodora, the first great-grandchild of Queen Victoria. Charlotte was a chain smoker and had suffered ill health her entire life, and died at the age of 59. Charlotte’s daughter Feodora also was ill much of her life and spent her last years in a sanatorium. Tired of years of illness and ineffective treatments, Feodora died by suicide in 1945. Historian John Rohl, author of Purple Secret: Genes, ‘Madness’ and the Royal Houses of Europe believes that the stomach pains, rashes, and urinary problems both Charlotte and her daughter Feodora exhibited were signs of porphyria, the genetic disease that their ancestor King George III possibly had. Researchers found Feodora’s grave and did DNA analysis on her remains. The analysis did show that she had porphyria which was most likely the cause of her many ailments.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

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Princess Charlotte of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

September 30, 1658 – Birth of Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, second wife of Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, in Wolfenbüttel, Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
In 1675, Elisabeth Eleonore married Johann Georg of Mecklenburg-Mirow. The marriage was short-lived as Johann Georg died just five months later. In 1681, Elisabeth Eleonore married Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, who had been widowed the previous year. Elisabeth Eleonore and Bernhard had five children. The Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen was completed in 1692 and named for Elisabeth Eleonore who lived there with her husband, and their children for the duration of Bernhard’s reign. Following her husband’s death in 1706, Elisabeth Eleonore was drawn into the family battles over who would reign over the duchy. The in-fighting within the family took its toll on Elisabeth Eleonore, and she retired from public life. She died on March 15, 1729, at the age of 70.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

September 30, 1796 – Birth of Friederike of Prussia, Duchess of Anhalt-Dessau, wife of Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt, in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: Friederike Luise Wilhelmine Amalie
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. 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

September 30, 1811 – Birth of Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, German Empress and Queen of Prussia, wife of Wilhelm I, German Emperor and King of Prussia, in Weimar, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, now in Thuringia, Germany
Full name: Augusta Marie Luise Katharina
In 1828, Augusta married the future Wilhelm I, German Emperor and King of Prussia. The couple had two children including Wilhelm’s (brief) successor Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia who married Victoria, Princess Royal, Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter. In 1861, Wilhelm became King of Prussia. Augusta was much more interested in politics than many of her predecessors and did not hesitate to voice her opinion. She despised Otto von Bismarck, statesman, diplomat, and the mastermind behind the unification of Germany in 1871, and the feeling was mutual. In 1871, Wilhelm was named the first German Emperor (Kaiser), with Augusta as his Empress (Kaiserin). Augusta founded the National Women’s Association and numerous hospitals and schools throughout Prussia to help those in need.
Unofficial Royalty: Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, German Empress, Queen of Prussia

September 30, 1898 – Birth of Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois, daughter of Prince Louis II of Monaco and his mistress Marie Juliette Louvet, mother of Prince Rainier III of Monaco, in Constantine, French Algeria, now in Algeria
Birth name: Charlotte Louise Juliette Louvet
Charlotte began life as Charlotte Louise Juliette Louvet, the illegitimate daughter of the future Prince Louis II of Monaco and Marie Juliette Louvet. Her parents had met the previous year in Paris, where Marie was working as a hostess in a nightclub. Because Louis was unmarried and without an heir, the Monegasque throne was likely to pass to his first cousin once removed Wilhelm, the Duke of Urach, a German nobleman who was the son of his father’s aunt Princess Florestine of Monaco. In 1918, a law was passed allowing for the adoption of an heir with succession rights. In 1919, Louis legally adopted Charlotte, giving her the Grimaldi surname. Her grandfather Prince Albert I created her HSH Princess Charlotte of Monaco, Duchess of Valentinois. Upon Louis’ accession in 1922, Charlotte became the Hereditary Princess of Monaco. In 1920, Charlotte married Count Pierre de Polignac, and the couple had two children including the future Prince Rainer III. By 1925, Charlotte and Pierre were living separate lives and they formally divorced in 1933. Having been born illegitimate, and now divorced, Charlotte knew that she would never be fully accepted by the very Catholic Monaco, Charlotte renounced her rights to the Monegasque throne in 1944 in favor of her son Rainier. She died in 1977 at the age of 79.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois

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© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Charlotte, Princess Royal, Queen of Württemberg; Credit – Wikipedia

September 29, 1240 – Birth of Margaret of England, daughter of King Henry III of England, and wife of Alexander III, King of Scots, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
The betrothal of Margaret and the future Alexander III, King of Scots was part of a peace negotiation arranged by their fathers. Four years after the betrothal, Alexander became King of Scots at the age of seven. In 1251, at York Minster in York, England, 11-year-old Margaret became Queen of Scots when she married 10-year-old King Alexander III. The wedding celebrations were festive and attended by many people including 1,000 English and 600 Scottish knights. The couple had three children but the death of their only surviving son caused a succession issue.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of England, Queen of Scots

September 29, 1328 – Birth of Joan of Kent, 4th Countess of Kent, Princess of Wales at Woodstock Palace near Oxford in Oxfordshire, England
Joan’s father was Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent, the younger of the two sons of King Edward I of England and his second wife, Margaret of France, and was, therefore, a half-brother of King Edward II. Joan and her first husband Thomas Holland are the ancestors of many prominent figures in the Wars of the Roses, including Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York (father of King Edward IV and King Richard III), Henry Tudor (later King Henry VII) and his wife Elizabeth of York (daughter of King Edward IV), Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (the Kingmaker) and his daughter Anne Neville (wife of King Richard III). They were also ancestors of Catherine Parr, the sixth and last wife of King Henry VIII. After the death of her first husband, Joan married Edward, Prince of Wales (the Black Prince), her first cousin once removed and the son and heir of King Edward III of England, and became the very first Princess of Wales. Her husband predeceased his father Edward III and their son succeeded his grandfather as King Richard II.
Unofficial Royalty: Joan of Kent, 4th Countess of Kent, Princess of Wales

September 29, 1388 – Birth of Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, son of King Henry IV of England, either in London, England, or at Kenilworth Castle in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England
During the reign of his father King Henry IV, Thomas was second in the line of succession after his elder brother, the future King Henry V. During his brother’s reign, Thomas was the heir presumptive to the throne until his death in 1421 at the Battle of Baugé in Anjou, France. In 1411, Thomas married Margaret Holland, the daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent and Alice FitzAlan but the couple had no children. Thomas accompanied his brother King Henry V on his campaigns in France during the Hundred Years’ War. He commanded the English army at the Siege of Rouen in 1418 which ended in Rouen’s capture by the English.
Unofficial Royalty: Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence

September 29, 1560 – Death of King Gustav Vasa I of Sweden at Tre Kronor Castle in Stockholm, Sweden; buried at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden
Gustav Vasa I, the first king of the House of Vasa, is considered the founding father of the modern Swedish state. He ranks among Sweden’s greatest monarchs and some argue that he was the most significant ruler in Swedish history. He ended foreign domination in Sweden, centralized and reorganized the government, cut religious ties to Rome, established the Church of Sweden, and founded Sweden’s hereditary monarchy. In the late 1550s, Gustav I’s health declined. He died, aged 64, at Tre Kronor Castle (Three Crowns Castle) which stood on the site of the present Stockholm Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. The official cause of death was cholera but it may have been dysentery or typhoid.
Unofficial Royalty: King Gustav Vasa I of Sweden

September 29, 1766 – Birth of Charlotte, Princess Royal, Queen of Württemberg, daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom, second wife of Friedrich I, King of Württemberg, at Buckingham Palace in London, England
Full name: Charlotte Augusta Matilda
The living conditions of King George III’s six daughters came to be known as “the Nunnery.” None of the daughters were allowed to marry at the age when most princesses would marry. Charlotte was one of the three who eventually did marry. At the age of 31, Charlotte married 49-year-old Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Württemberg, the future King of Württemberg.  He was a widower with three children. His first wife had been Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, niece of King George III, and there were some issues with this marriage that concerned King George III. Only after persistent requests and pleadings from Russian and Brunswick royals and British officials did the king consent to the marriage. After Charlotte delivered a stillborn daughter, the marriage remained childless.
Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte, Princess Royal, Queen of Württemberg

September 29, 1827 – Birth of Princess Hermine of Waldeck and Pyrmont, wife of Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse

Unofficial Royalty: Hermine of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Princess of Schaumberg-Lippe (article coming soon)

September 29, 1833 – Death of King Ferdinand VII of Spain in Madrid, Spain; buried at the Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real in El Escorial, Spain
Ferdinand married four times, was a widower three times, and had only two surviving daughters from his fourth marriage to his niece Maria Christina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. As Ferdinand had no sons, he persuaded the Spanish legislature to set aside the Salic Law, which allowed for only male succession. María Isabel Luisa, Ferdinand’s elder daughter by his fourth wife was Princess of Asturias, the title of the heir to the Spanish throne, from birth. In Spain, even if there is no heir apparent, the title can be (but is not necessarily) given to the heir presumptive – a daughter, sibling, or matrilineal descendant of the monarch. King Ferdinand VII died on September 29, 1833, and his daughter, not quite three years old, succeeded to the throne as Queen Isabella II. This precipitated a series of wars known as the Carlist Wars in which Ferdinand’s brother Carlos, and later his descendants, fought over the succession. Even today, there are Carlist claimants to the Spanish throne.
Unofficial Royalty: King Ferdinand VII of Spain

September 29, 1834 – Death of Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg at the Hummelshain Hunting Lodge in Hummerlshain, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Altenburg Cemetery in Altenburg, Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg, now in Thuringia, Germany, in 1974, his remains, along with all the others, were removed from the mausoleum and buried in an unmarked grave elsewhere in the cemetery
Friedrich was born as the Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Hildburghausen and became Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen upon his father’s death in 1780. Friedrich became Duke of Saxe-Altenburg in 1826. After Friedrich IV, the last Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died in 1825 without heirs, the Ernestine duchies were reorganized. Gotha passed to Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (becoming the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), and Altenburg passed to Friedrich. In exchange, the two Dukes ceded Saalfeld and Hildburghausen, respectively, to Bernard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. Leaving Hildburghausen after living there for 63 years was very difficult for Friedrich, but he moved to Altenburg in November 1826. Keeping his promise to the people of his new duchy, Friedrich enacted a constitution in April 1831 and worked to improve the infrastructure, streamline the government, and reinforce trade with the other German states.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg

September 29, 1853 – Birth of Princess Thyra of Denmark, Crown Princess of Hanover, daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark at the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Thyra Amalia Caroline Charlotte Anna
Thyra was the sister of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, King George I of Greece, and Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia. She married Ernst August II, Crown Prince of Hanover. Although she never officially became a queen like her sisters, Thyra was the titular queen consort of Hanover as her husband had never renounced his rights to the throne. She also counts among her descendants King Constantine II of Greece, his sister Queen Sofia of Spain, and Queen Sofia’s son King Felipe VI of Spain, and future Spanish monarchs.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Thyra of Denmark, Crown Princess of Hanover

September 29, 1882 – Birth of Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, wife of Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, at Schloss Ort in Gmunden, Austria
Full name: Alexandra Luise Marie Olga Elisabeth Therese Vera
Alexandra was the daughter of Ernst August, Crown Prince of Hanover and Princess Thyra of Denmark. In 1904, she married Friedrich Franz IV, the last Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Because of the death of her daughter Olga at just six weeks old, Alexandra worked to improve medical care for children in the Grand Duchy. She established the Olga Foundation, which raised money for education and training for nurses and midwives. Following her husband’s abdication on November 14, 1918, the family was forced to leave the Mecklenburg-Schwerin. They traveled to Denmark at the invitation of Queen Alexandrine, Friedrich Franz’s sister, and stayed for a year. The following year, they were permitted to return to Mecklenburg and recovered several of their properties.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

September 29, 1882 – Death of Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duchess of Parma, first wife of Roberto I, Duke of Parma, in childbirth in Biarritz, France; buried at the Chapel of the Villa Borbone in Viareggio, Italy
Maria Pia was the daughter of Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies and his second wife Maria Theresa of Austria. She was the first wife of Roberto I, Duke of Parma from 1854 – 1859 and titular Duke of Parma from 1859 until his death in 1907. As a not-quite-six-year-old, Roberto succeeded his father who was assassinated and then lost his throne five years later due to the Italian unification movement. Maria Pia and Roberto had twelve children. Six of the children were mentally disabled, two died in infancy, and one was stillborn. Their eldest child Marie Louise married Ferdinand I, Prince of Bulgaria (later Tsar). The dangerous practice of close pregnancies and births – twelve children in thirteen years of marriage – made Maria Pia weak and sickly. At the age of 33, Maria Pia died of puerperal fever (childbed fever), a week after giving birth to her last child, a stillborn son.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duchess of Parma

September 29, 1898 – Death of Queen Louise of Denmark, born Louise of Hesse-Kassel, wife of King Christian IX of Denmark, at Bernstorff Castle in Gentofte, Copenhagen, Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
Louise was as much the “Grandmother of Europe” as Queen Victoria was. Louise had 39 grandchildren and her grandsons included Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, King Constantine I of Greece, King George V of the United Kingdom, King Christian X of Denmark, and King Haakon VII of Norway. Louise is the ancestor of six of the ten current European monarchs (King Philippe of Belgium, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, King Harald V of Norway, King Felipe VI of Spain, King Charles III of the United Kingdom) and two former monarchs (the late King Michael of Romania and King Constantine II of Greece).
Unofficial Royalty: Louise of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark

September 29, 2020 – Death of Sabah IV bin Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, United States; buried at the Sulaibikhat Cemetery in Kuwait City, Kuwait
Sabah IV Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was Emir of Kuwait from 2006 – 2020. He was the Foreign Minister of Kuwait between 1963 and 2003. In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, and afterward, the Gulf War was fought. Sabah was involved in restoring the country after the Iraqi invasion. In 2003, Sabah became Prime Minister of Kuwait. He was a respected regional and international mediator due in part to his leadership in the Gulf Cooperation Council and his forty years of service as Foreign Minister and Prime Minister. Sabah died at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, at the age of 91, due to long-term health issues.
Unofficial Royalty: Sabah IV bin Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait

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

Amélie of Orléans, Queen of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

September 28, 1663 – Birth of Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, an illegitimate son of King Charles II of England by Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland
Wikipedia: Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton (Unofficial Royalty article coming soon)

September 28, 1765 – Birth of Princess Wilhelmine Luise of Nassau-Weilburg, Princess Reuss of Greiz, wife of Heinrich XIII, 2nd Prince Reuss of Greiz, in The Hague, then in the Dutch Republic, now in The Netherlands
The daughter of Karl Christian, Duke of Nassau-Weilburg and Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau, twenty-year-old Wilhelmine Luise married thirty-eight-year-old Heinrich XIII, the heir to the throne of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz in 1786. Wilhelmine Luise and Heinrich XIII had four sons. Upon the death of his father in 1800, Heinrich XIII succeeded as Prince Reuss of Greiz. Heinrich XIII, 2nd Prince Reuss of Greiz died on January 29, 1817, aged 69. Wilhelmine Luise survived her husband by twenty years, dying on October 10, 1837, aged 72.
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelmine Luise of Nassau-Weilburg, Princess Reuss of Greiz

September 28, 1828 – Birth of Antoinette de Mérode-Westerloo, Princess of Monaco, wife of Prince Charles III of Monaco, in Brussels, Belgium
Full name: Antoinette Ghislaine
Antoinette was the daughter of daughters of Werner Jean-Baptiste Merode, Count of Merode, a Belgian politician from a Belgian noble family, and Countess Victoire de Spangen Uyterness. In 1846, on her 18th birthday, Antoinette married the 27-year-old future Charles III, Prince of Monaco, then the Hereditary Prince of Monaco and Marquis of Baux. Charles and Antoinette had one child, Albert I, Prince of Monaco. During her husband’s early reign, Charles had begun to lose his eyesight. He depended greatly on his wife Antoinette as his condition continued to worsen. in 1862, Antoinette was diagnosed with cancer, and she died on February 10, 1864, at the age of 35.
Unofficial Royalty: Antoinette de Mérode-Westerloo, Princess of Monaco

September 28, 1863 – Birth of King Carlos I of Portugal at the Ajuda Palace in Lisbon, Portugal
Full name: Carlos Fernando Luís Maria Victor Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga Xavier Francisco de Assis José Simão
In 1886, Carlos married Princess Amélie of Orléans, the daughter of Prince Philippe, Count of Paris, a pretender to the French throne, and the couple had two sons. Carlos became King of Portugal upon his father’s death in 1889. In June 1892, Portugal faced the first of two bankruptcies which further strengthened the Republican movement which placed the blame for the bankruptcy solely on the monarchy. As the King’s reign continued, the political landscape became more volatile every day. In 1906, he appointed João Franco as Prime Minister, despite the misgivings of many of his family and advisers. Franco asked the King to dissolve parliament, causing a huge campaign in Portugal claiming that the country was now a dictatorship. Public support for King Carlos was quickly diminishing, particularly as he strongly supported Franco. It would lead to his tragic death. On February 1, 1908, King Carlos I and his elder son Luís Filipe, Prince Royal were shot and killed by two gunmen while riding in an open carriage in Lisbon, Portugal.
Unofficial Royalty: King Carlos I of Portugal

September 28, 1865 – Birth of Amélie of Orléans, Queen of Portugal, wife of King Carlos I of Portugal, in Twickenham, United Kingdom
Full name: Marie Amélie Louise Hélène
Amélie was born in Twickenham, London, England where her family had been living in exile since the French monarchy of the House of Orléans had fallen in 1848. In 1886, Amélie married the future King Carlos of Portugal and they had two sons. As Queen, Amélie took great interest in the well-being of the Portuguese people, establishing hospitals, sanatoriums, pharmacies, kitchens, and nurseries. She also founded the Royal Institute of Aid to the Shipwrecked in 1892, as well as the National Coach Museum in 1905, the Pasteur Institute in Portugal, and the National Assistance for Tuberculosis in 1899. However, along with her philanthropic efforts, she was also greatly criticized for her lavish spending, particularly in the midst of Portugal’s two bankruptcies. Amélie was in the open carriage when her husband King Carlos and son Luís Filipe, Prince Royal were shot and killed by two gunmen. Amazingly, Queen Amélie was unharmed, and her younger son Prince Manuel only suffered a gunshot to his arm.
Unofficial Royalty: Amélie of Orléans, Queen of Portugal

September 28, 1891- Death of Ida of Schaumburg-Lippe, Princess Reuss of Greiz, wife of  Heinrich XXII, 5th Prince Reuss of Greiz, due to childbirth complications, in Schleiz, Principality of Reuss-Gera, now in Thuringia, Germany; first buried in the Waldhaus Mausoleum in Greiz, Principality of Reuss-Greiz, 1969 remains cremated and buried at the Neue Friedhof (New Cemetery) in Greiz, Thuringia, Germany; 1997, remains moved to Stadtkirche St. Marien in Greiz, Thuringia, Germany
In 1872, Ida married Heinrich XXII, 5th Prince Reuss of Greiz and they had one son and five daughters. Heinrich XXII built Jagdschloss Ida-Waldhaus, a hunting lodge in the forest near Greiz which he named after his beloved wife Ida. Heinrich XXII loved the tranquility of that forest so much that he decided to be buried there. He commissioned the building of the Waldhaus Mausoleum, a Gothic-style chapel with a crypt. Sadly, Ida died, aged 39, from complications that occurred during the birth of her sixth child, a daughter, named Ida after her. Heinrich XXII wrote to his former mentor Baron Albert von der Trenk, “The sun of my earthly happiness set on September 28.”  Ida was buried in the Waldhaus Mausoleum that her husband had built. When Ida’s husband Heinrich XXII died in 1902 and when their son Heinrich XXIV died in 1927, they were also buried in the Waldhaus Mausoleum. In 1969, the Waldhaus Mausoleum had fallen into disrepair and the remains of Heinrich XXII, Ida, and their son Heinrich XXIV were cremated and placed in urns. Their remains have been reinterred twice since then.
Unofficial Royalty: Ida of Schaumburg-Lippe, Princess Reuss of Greiz

September 28, 1893 – Birth of Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma, husband of Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, at Schwarzau Castle, in Schwarzau am Steinfeld, Austria
Full name: Félix Marie Vincent
Felix was the son of Robert I, Duke of Parma and his second wife, Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal, and a brother of Zita who married Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria. In 1919, Felix married his first cousin Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg and the couple had six children. Felix spent his married life supporting his wife and helping to bring more prominence to the small Grand Duchy. In 1964, Charlotte decided to abdicate, and their son Jean became the new Grand Duke. Felix and Charlotte spent their remaining years at Fischbach Castle, devoted to their grandchildren and extended family.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma

September 28, 1907 – Death of Friedrich I, Grand Duke of Baden at his summer residence at the island of Mainau, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany; buried in the Grand Ducal Chapel in the Pheasant Garden in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
In 1856, Friedrich married Princess Luise of Prussia, the daughter of the future King Wilhelm I of Prussia, and had three children. Through their daughter Victoria who married King Gustav V of Sweden, Friedrich and Luise are ancestors of the current Swedish royal family. Friedrich’s father died in 1852 and was succeeded by Friedrich’s elder brother, Ludwig II. However, Ludwig was deemed mentally ill, and Friedrich was appointed regent during his reign. When Ludwig died in 1858, Friedrich succeeded him as Grand Duke Friedrich II. Friedrich sided with Prussia in the wars against Austria and France and represented Baden at the Palace of Versailles when his father-in-law was created German Emperor in 1871.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich I, Grand Duke of Baden

September 28, 1947 – Death of Princess Elsa of Liechtenstein, born Elisabeth von Gutmann, wife of Prince Franz I of Liechtenstein, in Vitznau, Switzerland; originally buried in the Chapel of Our Lady at Dux in Schaan, Liechtenstein, her remains were moved to Vaduz Cathedral in Liechtenstein when the Princely Crypt there was completed
Elsa’s father was a Jewish businessman who had founded the largest coal company in the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Elsa was raised in the Jewish religion but in January 1899, she converted to Roman Catholicism in preparation for her marriage to the Hungarian Baron Géza Erős of Bethlenfalva who died in 1908. In 1914, Elsa met Prince Franz of Liechtenstein at a gala for the Relief Fund for Soldiers. The couple wanted to marry but Franz’s brother Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein refused to give his consent to the marriage. Elsa and Franz secretly married Elsa in 1919, and that same year, Pope Benedict XV received the couple at the Vatican. Johann II died in 1929, and as he was unmarried with no children, his brother succeeded to the throne as Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein. The couple created the Franz and Elsa Foundation for Liechtenstein Children in 1930, which helped impoverished Liechtenstein children receive an education. The foundation is still in existence today. Elsa was unable to be buried with her husband because after World War II, the Czechs had seized the property in Vranov, near Brno, then in Czechoslovakia now in the Czech Republic, where her husband had been buried.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Elsa of Liechtenstein

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Sophia Alekseyevna, Regent of Russia, Credit – Wikipedia

September 27, 1601 – Birth of King Louis XIII of France at the Château de Fontainebleau in Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne, France
Louis XIII became King of France at the age of eight upon the assassination of his father King Henri IV of France. His mother Marie de’ Medici was appointed Regent. In 1615, Louis married Anne of Austria. They had two sons King Louis XIV and Philippe I, Duke of Orléans. Although best associated with later generations of French monarchs, the Palace of Versailles has its origins with Louis XIII. Having gone on several hunting trips in the area, King Louis XIII ordered the construction of a hunting lodge in 1624. Several years later, he acquired the surrounding land and began to enlarge the building. It was under his son’s reign that the small hunting lodge was transformed into a grand palace, and became the seat of the French monarchy.
Unofficial Royalty: King Louis XIII of France

September 27, 1657 – Birth of Tsarevna Sophia Alekseyevna, Regent of Russia, daughter of Alexei I, Tsar of All Russia, in Moscow, Russia
Sophia was the Regent of Russia for seven years during the early co-reign of her brother Ivan V and her half-brother Peter I (the Great). During her regency, Sophia continued the military reforms of her father Alexei I and brother Feodor III. However, Russian military defeats led to her downfall. With Peter’s reputation as a military leader, his coming of age and his marriage, the possibility of Sophia’s dismissal as Regent seemed a very real possibility. Therefore, Sophia and her followers planned to assassinate Peter but he was told of the plot and escaped. Eventually, Sophia had no followers ready to take risks for her interests. She was arrested, forced to give up her position as a member of the royal family, and forced to withdraw to the Novodevichy Convent under guard. During the Streltsy Uprising of 1698, the Streltsy secretly contacted Sophia and asked for her help. After Peter put down the rebellion, Sophia was forced to become a nun. She remained in the strictest seclusion with the other nuns allowed to see her only on Easter.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophia Alekseyevna, Regent of Russia

September 27, 1760 – Death of Maria Amalia of Saxony, Queen of Spain, wife of King Carlos III of Spain at Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid, Spain; buried at the Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real in El Escorial, Spain
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

September 27, 1781 – Birth of King Wilhelm I of Württemberg in Lüben, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Lubin, Poland
Full name: Friedrich Wilhelm Karl
Before he became King of Württemberg, Wilhelm had married twice. His marriage to Princess Karoline Auguste of Bavaria resulted in divorce and no children. His first cousin Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna of Russia, daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, was his second wife.  The couple had two children but Ekaterina died three years after the marriage. Wilhelm’s third wife was another first cousin Duchess Pauline of Württemberg who gave birth to three children including his heir. Wilhelm’s reign saw the economic boom of the 1830s, the expansion of roads and shipping routes, and a healthy and prosperous economy. But by the mid-1840s, several years of poor harvests had led to a rise in famine and calls for a more democratic government. Protests in 1848, as well as yet another revolution in France, led to Wilhelm conceding many of the demands being made – reinstating freedom of the press, and agreeing to form a liberal government.
Unofficial Royalty: King Wilhelm I of Württemberg

September 27, 1788 – Death of Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Princess of Württemberg, first wife of the future King Friedrich I of Württemberg, at Koluvere Manor, Kullamaa near Reval, Estonia; buried at the Church of Kullamaa in Lääne County, Estonia
Augusta was the daughter of Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Princess Augusta of Great Britain, a sister of King George III. In 1780, Augusta married Prince Friedrich of Württemberg, later King Friedrich I of Württemberg. Despite a very unhappy marriage, Augusta and Friedrich had four children. Augusta wanted to leave her husband as early as her first pregnancy.  In 1782, Friedrich impressed Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia while visiting Russia, and she made him Governor-General of Eastern Finland. Four years later, while they were visiting Catherine II in St. Petersburg, Augusta asked Catherine for protection from her husband. She claimed that Friedrich was abusive to her, and was having affairs with several men. Catherine took Augusta in and told Friedrich to leave the country. Augusta hoped to obtain a divorce, but her father would not permit it. So Catherine provided Augusta with a home at Koluvere Castle in Estonia, along with a custodian, Wilhelm von Pohlmann. Soon, Augusta and von Pohlmann began an affair and she became pregnant. On September 27, 1788, Augusta went into premature labor. Fearing that their affair would become known, von Pohlmann refused to call for a doctor and Augusta died of blood loss.
Unofficial Royalty: Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Princess Friedrich of Württemberg

September 27, 1820 – Birth of Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington, Queen Victoria’s Mistress of the Robes 1861–1868, 1874–1880, at Yester House, in East Lothian, Scotland
Born Lady Elizabeth Hay, daughter of George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale, she married Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington.
Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington

September 27, 1940 – Birth of Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, in Kuwait

Unofficial Royalty: Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait

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King Christian X of Denmark, Photo Credit – Wikipedia

September 26, 1796 – Birth of Princess Ida of Waldeck and Pyrmont, wife of Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, in Rhoden, then in the County of Waldeck and Pyrmont, later in the Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, and now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt

Unofficial Royalty: Ida of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Princess of Schaumberg-Lippe (Article coming soon.)

September 26, 1870 – Birth of King Christian X of Denmark at Charlottenlund Palace in Gentofte Municipality near Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm
Through his paternal aunts and uncles, Christian X was related to many European royals. Among his first cousins were Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, King Constantine I of Greece, King George V of the United Kingdom, and Maud of Wales, Queen of Norway who married his brother Carl who became King Haakon VII of Norway. In 1898, Christian married Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The couple had two sons including Frederik IX, King of Denmark. In 1940, during World War II, Germany occupied Denmark. Unlike King Haakon VII of Norway (Christian’s brother, born Prince Carl of Denmark) and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, both of whom went into exile during the German occupation of their countries, King Christian remained in Denmark. He is remembered for his daily horse ride without a guard through the streets of Copenhagen during the Nazi occupation of Denmark, a symbol of Danish sovereignty. After a fall from his horse in October 1942, Christian was more or less an invalid for the rest of his life. King Christian X died at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen on April 20, 1947, aged 76.
Unofficial Royalty: King Christian X of Denmark

September 26, 1922 – Birth of Prince Nicholas Romanov at the villa of his grandfather Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia in Cap d’Antibes, France
Prince Nicholas 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 1992 – 2014.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Nicholas Romanov

September 26, 1994 – Death of Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, son of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, in Bremen, Germany; buried in the castle cemetery at Hohenzollern Castle in Bisingen, Zollernalbkreis, Germany
Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, a grandson of Wilhelm II, King of Prussia and German Emperor, was the pretender to the Prussian throne and Head of the House of Hohenzollern from 1951 until his death in 1994.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia

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