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Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk; Credit – Wikipedia

April 3, 1812 – Birth of Louise-Marie of Orléans, Queen of the Belgians, the second wife of King Leopold I of the Belgians, in Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily, now in Italy
Full name: Louise-Marie Thérèse Charlotte Isabelle
Louise-Marie was the eldest daughter of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French and Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies. Among her ancestors are the Kings of France, Spain, Poland, Sicily and Naples, and Holy Roman Emperors. Marie Antoinette, Queen of France was her mother’s aunt. In 1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, uncle of both Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, became the first King of the Belgians. Leopold’s first wife had been Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only child of King George IV of the United Kingdom, who would have become Queen if she had not tragically died due to childbirth complications. Leopold had to marry again to provide for the Belgian succession and his choice was Louise-Marie. The couple married in 1832 and had four children. Louise-Marie died from tuberculosis at the age of 38 on October 11, 1850.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise-Marie of Orléans, Queen of the Belgians

April 3, 1831 – Birth of Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, wife of King Miguel of Portugal, in Kleinheubach, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria
Full name: Sophie Amalie Adelheid Luise Johanne Leopoldine
Adelaide married King Miguel I of Portugal after he was deposed and lived with him in exile in the Grand Duchy of Baden. Miguel died leaving 35-year-old Adelaide with seven young children. She arranged prominent marriages for her children and is the ancestor of the current royal families of Belgium, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg, as well as the former royal families of Austria, Bavaria, Portugal, and Romania. Adelaide retired to the Abbey of Sainte-Cécile in Solesmes, France where she eventually became a nun.
Unofficial Royalty: Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg

April 3, 1893 – Birth of Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk at East Sheen Lodge in Richmond, London, England
Full name: Maud Alexandra Victoria Georgina Bertha
Maud was the youngest child of Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife and a grandchild of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. She married Charles Carnegie, 11th Earl of Southesk and they had one son. On December 14, 1945, Maud, aged 52, died of bronchitis on the 84th anniversary of the death of her great-grandfather Prince Albert.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk

April 3, 1960 – Death of King Norodom Suramarit of Cambodia at Chaktomuk Hall, Khemarin Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; his ashes were buried in a stupa at Wat Preah Keo Morakot (Silver Pagoda) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Norodom Suramarit was the son of half-siblings, Prince Norodom Sutharot of Cambodia (1872–1945) and Princess Norodom Phangangam of Cambodia (1874–1944), both children of King Norodom Prohmbarirak of Cambodia but by different mothers. Norodom Suramarit, the father of King Norodom Sihanouk, reigned as King of Cambodia from 1955 -1960. His son King Norodom Sihanouk had been chosen over him to be king in 1941 but abdicated in 1955 so he could directly participate in politics. The reign of King Suramarit was peaceful due to the powerful political leadership and strict neutral policy of his son Prime Minister Norodom Sihanouk. King Norodom Suramarit, aged 64, died in 1960 after a long illness.
Unofficial Royalty: King Norodom Suramarit of Cambodia

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Élisabeth de Valois, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

April 2, 1272 – Death of Richard, Earl of Cornwall, son of King John of England, at Berkhamsted Castle in Hertfordshire, England; buried at Hailes Abbey in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, England
In 1231, Richard married 30-year-old, widowed Isabel Marshal, daughter of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, who had served three kings: Henry II, Richard I, and John, and had been the protector of Richard’s brother King Henry III, and regent of the kingdom. Isabel died in delivering her fourth child who also died. In 1243, Richard married Sanchia of Provence, who was the sister of Eleanor of Provence, the wife of his brother King Henry III. The couple had two children and Sanchia died in 1261. The displeasure of the English nobility with King Henry III ultimately resulted in a civil war, the Second Barons’ War (1264–1267). The leader of the forces against Henry was led by his brother-in-law Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, who was married to Henry’s sister Eleanor. Richard was a supporter of his brother during the Second Barons’ War. He was taken prisoner at the Battle of Lewes and imprisoned until his nephew the future King Edward I led the royalists into battle again, defeating and killing de Montfort at the Battle of Evesham in 1265. 60-year-old Richard made a third marriage to 15-year-old Beatrice of Falkenburg in1269. In 1271, Richard had a stroke that paralyzed his right side and caused him to lose the ability to speak. He died one year later at the age of 63.
Unofficial Royalty: Richard, Earl of Cornwall

April 2, 1502 – Death of Arthur, Prince of Wales, son of King Henry VII of England, at Ludlow Castle in Shropshire, England; buried at Worcester Cathedral in Worcester, England
For the first child of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch, the name Arthur was chosen in hopes that he would bring a new Arthurian age to the new Tudor dynasty. Sadly, that was not to be. Within months of their marriage, Arthur and Catherine of Aragon became ill, probably of the sweating sickness.  Catherine survived, but she was left a widow as Arthur did not survive. Henry VII and his wife Elizabeth of York were naturally distraught at the death of their eldest son. Their second son succeeded his father as King Henry VIII in 1509, leaving us to ask the question, “What if Arthur had become king?”
Unofficial Royalty: Arthur, Prince of Wales

April 2, 1545 – Birth of Élisabeth de Valois, Queen of Spain, third of the four wives of King Felipe II of Spain, at Château de Fontainebleau in France
Elisabeth was the daughter of Henri II, King of France and Catherine de’Medici. 14-year-old Elisabeth married 32-year-old father King Philip II of Spain. Philip had already been married twice and needed a male heir. Elisabeth considered her main duty to give birth to sons but she was unable to do so. She had five pregnancies but had only two surviving daughters. Elisabeth died after giving birth to a premature daughter who also died.
Unofficial Royalty: Élisabeth de Valois, Queen of Spain

April 2, 1653 – Birth of Prince George (Jørgen) of Denmark, husband of Queen Anne of Great Britain and son of King Frederik III of Denmark and Norway, at Copenhagen Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark
In 1683, George married the future Queen Anne of Great Britain. Sadly, George and Anne had issues with providing an heir. Anne had 17 pregnancies with only five children being born alive. Two died on the day of their birth, two died at less than two years old within six days of each from smallpox, and one died at age 11. George played no part in politics and had no real ambitions. His uncle by marriage, King Charles II, famously said of George, “I have tried him drunk, and I have tried him sober, and drunk or sober, there is nothing there.” In March and April 1706, George became seriously ill but seemed to recover. He spent much of the summer of 1708 at Windsor Castle with asthma that was so bad he was not expected to live. He died on October 28, 1708, at the age of 55.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince George of Denmark

April 2, 1657 – Death of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor in Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, now in Austria; buried in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna
Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, was also Archduke of Lower and Inner Austria (reigned 1637 – 1657), King of Bohemia (reigned 1627 – 1657), and King of Hungary and Croatia (reigned 1625 – 1657). Ferdinand III became Holy Roman Emperor in 1537, at the beginning of the last decade of the Thirty Years’ War (1618 – 1648). The Thirty Years’ War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, with an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians dying as a result of battle, famine, and disease. Although he knew the Holy Roman Empire would be weaker, Ferdinand set out on a policy toward ending the war. The Peace of Westphalia, signed in October 1648, ended the Thirty Years’ War and brought peace to the Holy Roman Empire. Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III, the kingdoms of France and Sweden, and their allies among the constituent states of the Holy Roman Empire participated in the treaties.
Unofficial Royalty: Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Lower and Inner Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary and Croatia

April 2, 1826 – Birth of Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany
Georg II was Duke of Saxe-Meiningen from 1866 until his death in 1914.  In 1850, Georg married Princess Charlotte of Prussia. The couple had four children but Charlotte died in March 1855, just after giving birth to their fourth child, who also died. In 1858, Georg married Princess Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the daughter of Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Feodora of Leiningen, the elder half-sister of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. They had three children. Georg was passionate about the theatre and established the Meiningen Theater. The company toured extensively throughout Germany and Europe from 1874 to 1890. Georg was also the patron of the Meiningen Court Orchestra. Under his patronage, the orchestra became prominent in the 1880s when Georg hired Hans von Bülow as its conductor. The orchestra served as an ensemble for Johannes Brahms, who even conducted himself when premiering his Fourth Symphony. Brahms remained connected to the orchestra for the rest of his life.
Unofficial Royalty: Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

April 2, 1829 – Death of Friedrich VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg, husband of Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, in Bad Homburg in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Homburg, now in Hesse, Germany; buried in the Mausoleum of the Landgraves in Homburg
Friedrich married Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, one of the three out of the six daughters of King George III who managed to get married. Both Elizabeth and Friedrich were 48-years old when they married. The marriage was not a love match but through mutual understanding and respect, it was a happy marriage that met the needs of both Elizabeth and Friedrich. When Friedrich died due to influenza and complications from an old leg wound, Elizabeth wrote, “No woman was ever more happy than I was for eleven years and they will often be lived over again in the memory of the heart.”
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg

April 2, 1867 – Death of Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, wife of Leopold II, Prince of Lippe, in Detmold, then in the Principality of Lippe, now in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia; buried in the Mausoleum on the Büchenberg in Detmold
Princess Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was the wife of Leopold II, Prince of Lippe. Emilie and Leopold had nine children including three reigning Princes of Lippe but none of their children had children. Leopold II had a passion for the theater and with the help of his wife Emilie, the Lippe Princely Court Theater was established in Detmold in 1825. The theater established by Leopold II and Emilie is still in existence today. Now called the Landestheater Detmold, it is a theater for operas, operettas, musicals, ballets, and stage plays in Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Unofficial Royalty: Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Princess of Lippe

April 2, 1949 – Death of Louisa McDonnell, Countess of Antrim, Queen Victoria’s Acting Mistress of the Robes 1894, Lady of the Bedchamber 1890–1901, and Queen Alexandra’s Lady of the Bedchamber 1901-1910; in London, England; buried in the Antrim family graveyard at Glenarm Castle in Glenarm, Northern Ireland
Born Louisa Jane Grey, was the daughter of The Honorable Charles Grey, who served as the Private Secretary to Prince Albert from 1849 until the Prince’s death in 1861 and then as Private Secretary to Queen Victoria until his own death in 1870. She married William McDonnell, 6th Earl of Antrim.
Unofficial Royalty: Louisa McDonnell, Countess of Antrim

April 2, 1955 – Birth of Princess Sirindhorn of Thailand, daughter of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, at the Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall, Dusit Palace in Bangkok, Thailand
Princess Sirindhorn attended Chulalongkorn University, earning a bachelor’s degree in history in 1976. After that, she enrolled in two Master’s programs concurrently, earning a master’s degree in Oriental Epigraphy in 1979 from Silpakorn University, and another in Oriental Languages from Chulalongkorn University in 1980. She later received a doctorate in Educational Development in 1986 from Srinakharinwirot University. The Princess is a professor and Head of the History Department at the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy, in addition to many royal duties and visits on behalf of her brother King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Sirindhorn of Thailand

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Effigy of Eleanor of Aquitaine; Credit – Wikipedia

April 1, 1204 – Death of Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of King Henry II of England, at Fontevrault Abbey in Maine-et-Loire, Duchy of Anjou, now in France; buried at Fontevrault Abbey
Eleanor of Aquitaine was Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, Queen of France (the first wife of King Louis VII of France, marriage annulled after 15 years) and Queen of England (wife of King Henry II of England). She survived her first husband, her second husband, and eight of her ten children. Eleanor was about 82 when she died. No other queen consort was to reach this age for over 700 years. Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII died at age 81 and Queen Mary, wife of King George V died at age 85. Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, wife of King George VI, passed away on March 30, 2002, at age 101. Eleanor’s tomb was desecrated during the French Revolution but her effigy is still displayed at Fontevrault Abbey.
Unofficial Royalty: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of England

April 1, 1704 – Birth of Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth, mistress of King George II of Great Britain, in Hanover, Electorate of Hanover, now in the German state of Lower Saxony
Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth was the mistress of King George II of Great Britain from 1735 until he died in 1760. She was the last British royal mistress to be granted a peerage title.
Unofficial Royalty: Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth, mistress of King George II of Great Britain

April 1, 1825 – Birth of Auguste of Austria, Princess of Bavaria, wife of Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria, in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy
Auguste was the daughter of Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany.  In 1844, she married Prince Luitpold of Bavaria, a younger son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. The couple had four children including Ludwig III, the last King of Bavaria. Auguste was a devoted mother to her four children, speaking to them only in Italian, and a strong supporter of her husband and the Bavarian monarchy. In 1848, she publicly criticized her father-in-law, King Ludwig I, for his relationship with his mistress Lola Montez, and its negative effects on the Bavarian monarchy.  On April 26, 1864, Princess Auguste died, aged 39, from tuberculosis which she had suffered from for many years.
Unofficial Royalty: Auguste of Austria, Princess of Bavaria

April 1, 1851 – Birth of Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen now in Thuringia, Germany
Full name: Bernhard III Friedrich Wilhelm Albrecht Georg
Bernhard III was the last reigning Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, a scholar, a Field Marshal in the Prussian army, and the husband of Queen Victoria’s granddaughter Princess Charlotte of Prussia. He was interested in the Greek language and was the author and translator of several works. Between 1873 and 1894, he made numerous study trips to Greece and Asia Minor, where he visited archaeological sites and worked with well-known archaeologists. In 1878,  Bernhard married Princess Charlotte of Prussia, the eldest daughter of Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia and Victoria, Princess Royal, and the sister of Wilhelm II, German Emperor. Bernhard and Charlotte had one child. After his abdication in 1918 at the end of World War I, Bernhard lived his remaining years at Schloss Altenstein in Bad Liebenstein, now in Germany. His wife Charlotte died in 1919. Bernhard survived her by nine years, dying at the age of 76.
Unofficial Royalty: Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

April 1, 1922 – Death of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, in Madeira, Portugal; buried at the Church of Our Lady of the Monte in Madeira, Portugal; his heart is with the heart of his wife Zita at Loreto Chapel of Muri Abbey near Basle, Switzerland
In 1911, Karl married Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma. The couple had eight children. Their oldest child Otto, who was Crown Prince during his father’s short reign, was the longest surviving of their children and died on July 4, 2011, at the age of 98. In 1889, after the suicide of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, the next heir was Karl’s grandfather Archduke Karl Ludwig, but he renounced his claim in favor of his son Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir until his assassination on June 28, 1914, an event that was one of the causes of World War I. Franz Ferdinand had been allowed to make a morganatic marriage with the condition that children of the marriage would not have succession rights. Upon Franz Ferdinand’s death, Karl became the heir. He succeeded to the throne upon the death of Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1916 and was the last Emperor of Austria. Karl spent the rest of his life in exile, dying in 1922. On October 3, 2004, Pope John Paul II beatified Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, and he is known as Blessed Karl of Austria. Beatification is the third of four steps toward sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church. On January 31, 2008, the Roman Catholic Church, after a 16-month investigation, formally recognized a second miracle attributed to Karl I which is required for his canonization as a saint. However, no word on his canonization has been forthcoming.
Unofficial Royalty: Emperor Karl I of Austria

April 1, 1947 – Death of King George II of Greece at the Royal Palace in Athens, Greece; buried at Tatoi Royal Cemetery in Tatoi, Greece
George II was the eldest son of King Constantine I of Greece and Princess Sophie of Prussia. Due to unrest in Greece, George was King of Greece twice (1st reign 1922 – 1924, monarchy abolished; 2nd reign 1935 – 1947)  and was forced into exile three times. Also unlucky in marriage, he married his second cousin, Princess Elisabeta of Romania. Their marriage was childless and ended in divorce. His health declining, George was found unconscious in his office at the Royal Palace in Athens, Greece on April 1, 1947. Several hours later, it was announced that he had died of arteriosclerosis.
Unofficial Royalty: King George II of Greece

April 1, 1975 – Death of Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg in Ravensburg, Germany; buried in the family crypt in Altshausen, Germany
Full name: Georg Philipp Albrecht Carl Maria Joseph Ludwig Lubertus Stanislaus Leopold
Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg was Head of the House of Württemberg, and pretender to the former throne, from 1939 until he died in 1975.
Unofficial Royalty: Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg

April 1, 1993 – Death of Infante Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona, son of King Alfonso XIII of Spain, father of King Juan Carlos of Spain, in Pamplona, Spain; buried in the Royal Crypt at San Lorenzo del Escorial in Escorial, Spain
Juan was a great-grandson of Queen Victoria through his mother Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg. In 1935, he married Princess Maria Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. The couple had four children including King Juan Carlos I of Spain. After both of his elder brothers renounced their succession rights, Juan became heir apparent to the Spanish throne.  After the Spanish monarchy was overthrown and the Second Spanish Republic was declared, the royal family went into exile. In 1947, Francisco Franco, the ruler of Spain from 1939 to 1975 as a dictator, declared that the monarchy would be restored after his death. It would be another 22 years before Franco named his successor. Feeling that Juan would be too liberal, he instead passed over him and chose Juan’s son, Juan Carlos, as heir to the Spanish throne. Despite never being King of Spain, Juan was buried with the honors of a king upon his death in 1993.
Unofficial Royalty: Infante Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona

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King Henri II of France; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

March 31, 1359 – Birth of Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal, daughter of John of Gaunt, granddaughter of King Edward III of England, at Leicester Castle in Leicestershire, England
Philippa was the daughter of John of Gaunt, a son of King Edward III of England, and his first wife Blanche of Lancaster. In 1387, she married King Joáo I of Portugal. They had nine children including Henrique of Portugal, Duke of Viseu, known as Prince Henry the Navigator, who guided Portugal to the Age of Exploration in the Americas. Philippa was also the great-grandmother of Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII of England.
Unofficial Royalty: Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal

March 31, 1373 – Birth of Catherine of Lancaster, Queen of Castile, daughter of John of Gaunt, granddaughter of King Edward III of England, at Hertford Castle in Hertfordshire, England
Catherine of Lancaster was the daughter of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and his second wife Constance of Castile. She was the half-sister of Philippa of Lancaster, above. In 1388, she married King Enrique III of Castile and had three children. Like her half-sister Philippa, Catherine was also the great-grandmother of Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII of England.
Unofficial Royalty: Catherine of Lancaster, Queen of Castile

March 31, 1519 – Birth of King Henri II of France at Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye in France
Henri was the son of King François I of France and his first wife Claude, Duchess of Brittany. In 1533, he married the wealthy heiress Catherine de Medici. They had ten children including three Kings of France. Henri’s reign was marked by the Italian Wars against the House of Habsburg and the suppression of the Protestant Reformation, particularly the persecution of the Protestant French Huguenots, who were becoming a large minority. Henri died on July 10, 1559, at the age of 40, probably from a subdural hematoma and sepsis due to injuries he had suffered in a tournament.
Unofficial Royalty: King Henri II of France

March 31, 1547 – Death of King François I of France at the Château de Rambouillet in France; buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France
A contemporary of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King Henry VIII of England, François I played an important role in Europe’s foreign policy. In France, he was a patron of the arts, focused on new construction and renovations, and dealt with the Reformation which started during his reign. In 1524, François financed the expedition of Giovanni da Verrazzano to North America. On this expedition, Verrazzano was the first documented European to visit the present site of New York City (where the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge is named after him) and claimed Newfoundland in present-day Canada for the French crown. In 1534, François sent Jacques Cartier to explore the St. Lawrence River in the present-day Canadian province of Quebec.  In 1514, François married Claude, Duchess of Brittany in her own right. They had seven children. When Claude died in 1524, François married Eleanor, Archduchess of Austria, Infanta of Castile, the sister of the powerful Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. François and Eleanor had no children. François I died on March 31, 1547,  aged 52, after a reign of thirty-two years, due to kidney failure. He was succeeded by his only surviving son Henri II who became King of France on his 28th birthday.
Unofficial Royalty: King François  I of France

March 31, 1621 – Death of King Felipe III of Spain in Madrid, Spain; buried at the Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real in El Escorial, Spain
Felipe III’s father, King Felipe II of Spain, died in 1598, and his twenty-year-old son succeeded him as Felipe III, King of Spain. Besides being King of Spain, Felipe III was also King of Portugal, King of Sardinia, King of Naples, King of Sicily, and Duke of Milan. In 1599, Felipe III married 14-year-old Archduchess Margaret of Austria. They had eight children including Felipe IV, King of Spain. Felipe III’s wife Margaret died at the age of twenty-six from childbirth complications eleven days after giving birth to her eighth child. The reign of Felipe was marked by significant economic problems throughout Spain. Spain was hit by famine due to a series of poor harvests and there was an outbreak of bubonic plague that killed more than 10% of the population. However, part of the Spanish Golden Age (1492 – 1659), a period of flourishing in the arts and literature, occurred during the reign of Felipe III. He survived his wife by ten years, dying in Madrid, Spain on March 31, 1621, two weeks before his forty-third birthday, due to erysipelas, a bacterial skin infection.
Unofficial Royalty: King Felipe III of Spain

March 31, 1671 – Death of Lady Anne Hyde, Duchess of York, first wife of James, Duke of York (later King James II of England), at St. James Palace in London, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Anne was the daughter of Edward Hyde, later created 1st Earl of Clarendon, an adviser to Charles II,  the king in exile in the Netherlands after the English Civil War, and soon became his chief adviser. Charles appointed Hyde Lord Chancellor in 1658. In 1654, while in the Netherlands, Anne Hyde was appointed a maid of honor to Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange, the eldest daughter of King Charles I of England, the widow of Willem II, Prince of Orange, and the mother of the young Willem III, Prince of Orange who would marry Anne’s daughter Mary. Anne was very attractive and stylish and attracted many men, including James, Duke of York, the future King James II of England. On November 24, 1659, Anne and James made a secret marriage in front of witnesses. James and Anne had eight children, but only two survived childhood, and both were Queens Regnant: Queen Mary II and Queen Anne. Anne Hyde never became Queen Consort as she died before her husband became king. Anne died of cancer a few weeks after giving birth to her daughter Catherine, who died in December 1671.
Unofficial Royalty: Lady Anne Hyde, Duchess of York

March 31, 1718 – Birth of Mariana Victoria of Spain, Queen of Portugal at the Royal Alcazar of Madrid in Spain 
The daughter of Felipe V, the first Bourbon King of Spain, and his second wife Elisabeth Farnese of Parma, Mariana Victoria married the future José, I, King of Portugal in 1729. The couple had four daughters including Maria I, Queen of Portugal. After King José suffered a series of strokes, Mariana Victoria was created Regent of Portugal in 1776, and remained Regent until José’s death in 1777. Mariana Victoria had a significant influence on her daughter Maria I, Queen of Portugal, who would often ask her mother’s advice on matters of state.
Unofficial Royalty: Mariana Victoria of Spain, Queen of Portugal

March 31, 1723 – Birth of King Frederik V of Denmark and Norway at Copenhagen Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark
Frederik had a very sensual nature and loved wine and women. He spent so much time visiting Copenhagen’s pubs and brothels that his father King Christian VI considered disinheriting him from the throne. When he married Louisa of Great Britain in 1743, the Danish government hoped (incorrectly) that marriage would put a damper on his affairs and drunkenness. Frederik and Louisa had five children. When Frederik became king, he did take part in the government by attending council meetings, was afflicted with alcoholism, and most of his reign was dominated by his very able ministers. In 1752, a year after Louisa died due to complications from a miscarriage. Frederik married Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and the couple had one son. In 1760, Frederik broke his leg in a drunken accident, which affected his health for the rest of his life. He died on January 14, 1766, at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark at the age of 42.
Unofficial Royalty: King Frederik V of Denmark

March 31, 1750 – Death of Christina Sophia of East Frisia, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, second of the three wives of Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia; first buried at the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle in Schwarzburg, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia, later reburied at the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt
Princess Christina Sophia of East Frisia and Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt married in 1729, but their marriage was childless. However, Christina Sophia was the stepmother to her husband’s two surviving children from her husband’s first marriage. During Christina Sophia’s marriage to Friedrich Anton, her husband issued letters of protection to Jewish families and allowed them to settle in Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. These families developed into the Jewish community of the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.
Unofficial Royalty: Christina Sophia of East Frisia, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

March 31, 1751 – Death of Frederick, Prince of Wales, son of King George II and father of King George III, at Leicester House in London, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Frederick was one of the seven Princes of Wales who never became King. In 1736, he married Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. The couple had nine children including King George III of the United Kingdom and Caroline Matilda who married Christian VII, King of Denmark and Norway. In March 1751, Frederick became ill after he caught “a chill” while gardening. He became feverish and was bled and blistered, the medical treatment of the time. After a brief recovery, Frederick suffered a relapse and was again bled. On March 21, 1751, Frederick suffered a coughing fit and died suddenly. An autopsy found the cause of death to be a burst abscess in the lung. It was popularly believed that his death was caused by a blow from a cricket ball in his chest, but there is no proof of that.
Unofficial Royalty: Frederick, Prince of Wales

March 31, 1803 – Birth of Marie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg, wife of Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, at Ludwigslust Palace in Ludwgislust, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Full name: Marie Luise Friederike Alexandrine Elisabeth Charlotte Catherine
Marie Luise was the wife of Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. The couple had three children. While Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg, Marie Luise did much charity work. Through her Marie Foundation, she founded a woman’s association, several schools, and the Lutheran missionary society in Altenburg. Marie Luise died at the age of 59.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg

March 31, 1817 – Birth of Charlotte Canning, Countess Canning, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria, at the British Embassy in Paris, France where her father was serving as the Ambassador to France
Born The Honorable Charlotte Stuart, daughter of Charles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay, she married Charles Canning, 1st Earl Canning. Charlotte was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria from 1842 until 1855. While many other ladies worried that the position would keep them from their children and families, this was not the case for Charlotte. Having no children, she was free to enjoy her position and took great pride in serving the Sovereign.
Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte Canning, Countess Canning

March 31, 1828 – Death of Ida of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, Hereditary Princess of Oldenburg, second wife of the future Grand Duke August I of Oldenburg, in Oldenburg, Duchy of Oldenburg, now in Lower Saxony, Germany; buried in the Ducal Mausoleum at Saint Gertrude’s Cemetery in Oldenburg
Ida married the then Hereditary Prince August of Oldenburg, the widower of her elder sister Adelheid, and the couple had one son Peter, who succeeded his father. Sadly, Ida died just three years after her marriage.
Unofficial Royalty: Ida of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, Hereditary Princess of Oldenburg

March 31, 1870 – Death of Sir Charles Grey, Private Secretary to Queen Victoria; buried in St. Michael and All Angels Churchyard at Howick Hall in Howick, Northumberland, England
General The Hon. Sir Charles Grey was Private Secretary to Queen Victoria from 1861 until 1870. He was the son of Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey and The Hon. Mary Ponsonby. His father would later serve as Prime Minister from 1830-1834, and is the person for whom ‘Earl Grey Tea’ is named. In 1836, Charles married Caroline Eliza Farquhar, the daughter of Sir Thomas Farquhar, 2nd Baronet. Caroline would later serve as an Extra Woman of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria from 1870-1890. The couple had six children. In 1849, Charles was appointed Private Secretary to Prince Albert. He was given apartments at St. James’s Palace and lived in the Norman Tower at Windsor Castle, and at Osborne Cottage at Osborne House, and his children grew up as playmates of some of Victoria and Albert’s children. Over the next twelve years, he became an influential member of the royal household and a close confidante and advisor to Prince Albert. Following Albert’s death in 1861, Charles seamlessly moved into the position of Private Secretary to The Queen – a role which had largely been filled by Prince Albert since he and Victoria married in 1840. He remained Queen Victoria’s Private Secretary until his death in 1870.
Unofficial Royalty: Sir Charles Grey, Private Secretary to Queen Victoria

March 31, 1900 – Birth of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, son of King George V of the United Kingdom, at York Cottage in Sandringham, Norfolk, England
Full name: Henry William Frederick Albert
In 1935, Henry married Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott, a daughter of John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch. They had two sons Prince William of Gloucester, who died in 1972 in a plane crash at an air show, and Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Henry had a military career in the British Army and served with The King’s Royal Rifle Corps and the 10th Royal Hussars. He retired from active duty in 1937, but during World War II served with the British Expeditionary Force. Henry served as Governor-General of Australia from 1945 – 1947. In 1965, while driving home after attending the funeral of Winston Churchill, Henry suffered a stroke causing a car accident. Three years later, he suffered another stroke which left him incapacitated for the remainder of his life. On June 10, 1974, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester died at Barnwell Manor, his country home at the age of 73.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester

March 31, 1931 – Death of Sir Arthur Bigge, 1st Baron Stamfordham, Private Secretary to Queen Victoria and King George V, at St. James’s Palace in London, England; buried at Brompton Cemetery in London, England
Lieutenant Colonel The Right Honourable Sir Arthur John Bigge was Private Secretary to Queen Victoria from 1895 until The Queen’s death in 1901. He then served as Private Secretary to the future King George V from 1901 – 1910, and for twenty-one years of King George V’s reign until his own death in 1931. Arthur’s service in the Royal Household began in 1880 when he was appointed Groom-in-Waiting, and then quickly named Assistant Private Secretary to Queen Victoria. Later that year, he was also appointed Assistant Keeper of the Privy Purse, serving until 1895. In May 1895, he succeeded Sir Henry Ponsonby as Private Secretary to The Queen and served until Her Majesty’s death in January 1901. In 1881, Arthur married Constance Neville and they had three children. On March 31, 1931, following several weeks of illness, Arthur died at his apartments in St. James’s Palace in London, England.
Unofficial Royalty: Sir Arthur Bigge, 1st Baron Stamfordham

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Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother; Credit – Wikipedia

March 30, 1796 – Death of Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Zweibrücken, first wife of Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria, in Rohrbach, the French Republic now in Germany; buried at the Stadtkirche Darmstadt in Darmstadt, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, now in Hesse, Germany.
Princess Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt was the first wife of the future Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria. 31-year-old Augusta Wilhelmine weakened from five pregnancies and the travails of war, died from pulmonary tuberculosis. Although she died before her husband became King of Bavaria, she was the mother of his successor King Ludwig I of Bavaria
Unofficial Royalty: Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Zweibrücken

March 30, 1830 – Death of Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Baden, in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany; first buried in the Karlsruhe Stadtkirche, after World War II, his remains were moved to the Grand Ducal Chapel in the Pheasant Garden in Karlsruhe
As the third son, there was little expectation that Ludwig would succeed to the throne. He pursued a military career, serving in the Prussian army. He succeeded his nephew Karl Ludwig Friedrich as Grand Duke of Baden in 1818. Ludwig promoted the development of the country, as well as strengthening the military forces. He also established several universities and churches. Ludwig never married, but he did have several illegitimate children. He had a long relationship with Katharina Werner and this relationship resulted in three children. When Ludwig died in 1830 after suffering a stroke, he was succeeded by his half-brother, Leopold.
Unofficial Royalty: Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Baden

March 30, 1855 – Death of Charlotte of Prussia, Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Meiningen, first wife of the future Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen now in Thuringia, Germany, from childbirth complications; buried in the Park  Cemetery in Meiningen
Charlotte’s marriage in 1850 to the future Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen was truly a love match, although it was encouraged by Charlotte’s uncle King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia. Charlotte and Georg shared many of the same interests and unlike many marriages of the time, both were very happy to spend as much time together as possible. The couple had four children but sadly, Charlotte, aged 23, died in childbirth along with her fourth child.
Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte of Prussia, Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Meiningen

March 30, 1871 – Death of Queen Lovisa of Sweden and Norway, born Louise of the Netherlands, wife of King Charles XV of Sweden and Norway, at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden; buried at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden
In 1849, Louise met Prince Carl of Sweden, the son and heir of King Oscar I, and negotiations were soon underway to arrange a marriage between the two. While Louise was enamored of her future husband from their first meeting, he found her unattractive. However, King Oscar wanted to create familial ties between the relatively new Bernadotte dynasty in Sweden and some of the other long-established European dynasties. With Louise’s Dutch and Prussian families, as well as the promise of a large dowry, she was an ideal candidate. Prince Carl eventually conceded to his father’s wishes and Louise and Carl were married in 1850. The marriage was an unhappy one. Louise was desperately in love with her husband, but he was consistently unfaithful to her. Having had complications in her second pregnancy, Louise was unable to bear any more children. Following their son’s death in 1854, leaving no male heir to inherit the throne, Louise offered her husband a divorce, which he declined. Lovisa traveled to the Netherlands to be at her mother’s deathbed in late 1870. Upon returning, her husband fell ill and she nursed him back to health. Physically drained, Lovisa contracted pneumonia and died at the age of 42.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise of the Netherlands, Queen of Sweden and Norway

March 30, 2002 – Death of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, wife of King George VI, mother of Queen Elizabeth II, at Royal Lodge in Windsor, England; buried at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Less than a month after the death of her younger daughter Princess Margaret, The Queen Mother passed away. Her daughter Queen Elizabeth II and two of her grandchildren, the children of Princess Margaret, David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon and his sister Lady Sarah Chatto, were with her. At the time, she was the longest-lived member of the British Royal Family at age 101.  For The Queen Mother’s lying-in-state at Westminster Hall, her four grandsons, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex, and Viscount Linley (now 2nd Earl of Snowdon) stood guard, repeating what the four sons of King George V did at his lying-in-state in 1936.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
Unofficial Royalty: Death of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
Unofficial Royalty: In Memorial – Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1900-2002)

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