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King Louis XII of France; Credit – Wikipedia

June 27, 1462 – Birth of King Louis XII of France at the Château de Blois in Blois, France
Louis succeeded his father as Duke of Orléans at the age of three. Although his descent from the French ruling line was somewhat distant, Louis was aware of his close proximity to the throne should the main Valois line become extinct. King Charles VIII died unexpectedly in 1498. Although Charles VIII and his wife had had several children, none survived him, allowing Louis’ succession as King Louis XII of France. Louis XII married three times. His last wife was 18-year-old Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England and sister of King Henry VIII of England. The 52-year-old Louis XII was still eager to provide himself with a male heir. However, the marriage lasted only four months due to Louis’s death.
Unofficial Royalty: King Louis XII of France

June 27, 1550 – Birth of King Charles IX of France at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye near Paris, France
Charles became King of France at the age of nine upon the death of his 16-year-old brother François II who was the first husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. The horrific St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, in which thousands of Protestant Huguenots were killed, occurred during Charles’ reign. Although Charles IX publicly approved of the results of the St. Bartholomew Day’s Massacre, it left him with a psychological trauma that lasted for the remaining two years of his life. He became increasingly depressed and his already weak constitution could no longer resist the tuberculosis that ravaged his body and he died at the age of 23.
Unofficial Royalty: King Charles IX of France

June 27, 1655 – Death of Eleonora Gonzaga of Mantua, Holy Roman Empress, second wife of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Inner Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary and Croatia, in Vienna, Austria; buried in Vienna at the Discalced Carmelites Monastery, in 1782, Eleonora’s remains were reinterred in the Ducal Crypt at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria

Unofficial Royalty: Eleonora Gonzaga of Mantua, Holy Roman Empress, 2nd wife of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (article coming soon)

June 27, 1704 – Death of Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg, mistress and bigamous wife of Frederik IV, King of Denmark and Norway; buried at the Church of Our Savior in Copenhagen, Denmark
Without divorcing his wife, Frederik IV made a bigamous marriage to Elisabeth and then created her Countess of Antvorskov. Elisabeth died due to childbirth complications shortly after giving birth to King Frederik IV’s son Frederik Gyldenløve. Elisabeth was greatly mourned by Frederik IV who gave her a lavish funeral and commanded that the bells of three churches should ring for two hours. Elisabeth was buried at the Church of Our Savior in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Her son lived for only nine months and was buried with Elisabeth.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg

June 27, 1880 – Birth of Natalia Sergeyevna Sheremetyevskaya, Countess Brasova, morganatic wife of Grand Duke Michael of Russia, son of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia, at a rented summer dacha outside of Moscow, Russia
Natalia was the lover and then the morganatic wife of Grand Duke Michael of Russia, brother of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. After the birth of a son named George after Michael’s deceased brother, Natalia and her first husband were divorced. Nicholas II issued a decree giving George the surname Brasov after Michael’s estate at Brasov, granted Natalia permission to use the surname Brasova and allowed her to live with Michael at his estate Brasovo.  When Michael and Natalia were secretly married without Nicholas II’s permission, Nicholas stripped Michael of his military rank, froze all his assets in Russia, seized control of his estates, and banished him from Russia. Eventually, Michael was allowed to return to Russia, his son George was legitimized and created Count Brasov but neither he nor his descendants could be in the line of succession. At the same time, Natalia was created Countess Brasova. Michael and his secretary were killed during the Russian Revolution and their bodies were never found. George died in a car accident at the age of 20. Natalia died at the age of 71 in 1952.
Unofficial Royalty: Natalia Sergeyevna Sheremetyevskaya, Countess Brasova

June 27, 1889 – Wedding of Princess Louise, Princess Royal, daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, and Alexander Duff, 6th Earl Fife, at the Private Chapel, Buckingham Palace
Despite the possessiveness of her mother Alexandra, then Princess of Wales, and the matchmaking of her grandmother Queen Victoria, Louise decided that she wanted to marry for love. Louise preferred to marry a British subject rather than a European prince that would take her away from home and so, like her aunt Princess Louise who had married the future 9th Duke of Argyll, she chose a husband from the British aristocracy, Alexander Duff, then the 6th Earl Fife. When Louise’s grandmother Queen Victoria arrived at Sandringham to discuss a potential engagement with Louise’s parents, she was met by Louise who tearfully explained that if she was not allowed to marry Alexander, she would die an old maid. Queen Victoria, who had known Alexander since his childhood, explained to her that as her grandmother and sovereign, she had to spend some time with her potential groom before she could make a decision about the marriage. Queen Victoria was partial to Scotsmen and when she spent some time with Alexander, she approved of the marriage.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Louise, Princess Royal and Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife

June 27, 1959 – Death of Prince Elia of Bourbon-Parma in Friedberg, Austria; buried nearby in Mönichkirchen, Austria
Prince Elia of Bourbon-Parma was head of the House of Bourbon-Parma and pretender to the former ducal throne of Parma from 1950 until his death in 1959. Additionally, he served as regent from 1907-1950 for two of his elder brothers, Enrico and Giuseppe, who were mentally disabled.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Elia of Bourbon-Parma

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Anna Katharina of Brandenburg, Queen of Denmark & Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

June 26, 1575 – Birth of Anna Katharina of Brandenburg, Queen of Denmark, first wife of King Christian IV of Denmark, in Halle upon Saale, Electorate of Brandenburg, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Anna Katharina of Brandenburg married King Christian IV of Denmark in 1597 and they had six children. Anna Katharina was praised for her modesty and piety. She often accompanied Christian IV on his trips but had no influence on the politics of Denmark. Christian IV had affairs during his marriage and Anna Katharina was certainly aware of them. A little more than a year after the birth of her last child, Anna Katharina died on April 8, 1612, at the age of 36.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna Katharina of Brandenburg, Queen of Denmark

June 26, 1726 – Birth of Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia at the Royal Palace in Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy
Vittorio Amedeo III was a great-great-grandson of King Charles I of England from the House of Stuart. After King James II, a son of King Charles I, lost his throne via the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the Jacobite (from Jacobus, the Latin for James) movement formed. The goal of the Jacobites was to restore the Roman Catholic Stuart King James II of England/VII of Scotland and his Roman Catholic heirs to the thrones of England and Scotland. When the line of the deposed King James II of England died out in 1807, the Jacobite claims to the British throne descended from the line of his sister Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans whose daughter Anne Marie d’Orléans had married Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardinia. In 1807, Vittorio Amedeo’s son Carlo Emanuele IV, King of Sardinia became the Jacobite heir from the House of Savoy
Unofficial Royalty: Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia

June 26, 1760 – Birth of Prince Johann I Josef of Liechtenstein in Vienna, Austria
Full name: Johann Baptist Josef Adam Johann Nepomuk Aloys Franz de Paula
Because he had an elder brother and was not expected to succeed to the throne of Liechtenstein, Johann Josef chose a military career in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire, of which Liechtenstein was a constituent state. In 1792, Johann Josef married Landgravine Josefa of Fürstenberg-Weitra, and the couple had fourteen children. Upon the death of his childless brother Alois I, Prince of Liechtenstein in 1805, Johan Josef became the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein. As Prince of Liechtenstein, Johann Josef carried out progressive reforms, and in 1818, however, he approved a new constitution that limited the power of the monarch. He established modern practices in agriculture and forestry and reorganized the government administration to meet modern needs. On April 20, 1836, Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein, aged 75, died at Liechtenstein Palace in Vienna, Austria.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Johann I Josef of Liechtenstein

June 26, 1830 – Death of King George IV of the United Kingdom at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England; buried at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, England
Upon the death of King George III on January 29, 1820, The Prince Regent succeeded to the throne as King George IV. At the time of his succession, George IV was obese and probably addicted to laudanum.  He suffered from gout, arteriosclerosis, edema, and possibly porphyria and towards the end of his life, he spent more and more time in seclusion at Windsor Castle. Because of his excessive lifestyle, he had become so fat (his weight in 1830 was 130 kg/280 lbs) that he increasingly was an object of ridicule when he appeared in public. George IV’s final illness began in January 1830 with a severe cough. He improved slightly in March 1830 but continued to have respiratory problems, faintness, and urinary tract pain. When George IV died, the throne passed to the next surviving son of King George III, Prince William, Duke of Clarence who reigned as King William IV.
Unofficial Royalty: King George IV of the United Kingdom

June 26, 1878 – Death of Maria de las Mercedes of Orléans, Queen of Spain, first wife of King Alfonso XII of Spain, at the Palacio Real de Madrid; originally buried at the Monastery of El Escorial, reburied at the Cathedral of la Almudena in Madrid, Spain in 2000
In June 1878, six months after her marriage, it was announced that Mercedes was pregnant and the country rejoiced. However, the joy was short-lived as Mercedes suffered a miscarriage. Shortly after the miscarriage, Mercedes became suddenly ill. Within hours, she was at death’s door with typhoid fever. Mercedes died two days after her 18th birthday, on June 26, 1878, at her birthplace, the Royal Palace of Madrid.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria de las Mercedes of Orléans, Queen of Spain

June 26, 1899 – Birth of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia, daughter of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, at Peterhof near St. Petersburg, Russia
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (born Prince Louis of Battenberg, a maternal uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh) was a son of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna’s eldest sister Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine. In his childhood, Lord Mountbatten was close to his aunt Alexandra’s children, his first cousins. At a very young age, he began a “lifelong love affair” with Maria and kept a framed photo of her by his bed until he, like his Romanov first cousins, was also violently murdered. He wrote about Maria: “I was mad about her, and determined to marry her. You could not imagine anyone more beautiful than she was!”
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia

June 26, 1914 – Birth of Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark, Princess of Hesse, Princess of Hanover, sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Mon Repos on the isle of Corfu, Greece
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.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark, Princess of Hesse, Princess of Hanover

June 26, 1922 – Death of Prince Albert I of Monaco in Paris, France; buried at the Cathedral of Monaco in Monaco
Besides being the Sovereign Prince of Monaco, Albert I left an interesting legacy.  He was a pioneer of oceanography and founded the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco which has a world-class aquarium, museum, library, and research facilities in Paris.  His interest in the origins of man caused him to found the Institute for Human Paleontology in Paris, which conducted many archeological digs. Because of his quest for world peace, the prince founded the International Institute for Peace, a predecessor of the League of Nations and the United Nations.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Albert I of Monaco

June 26, 2005 – Birth of Princess Alexia of the Netherlands, daughter of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, at Bronovo Hospital in The Hague, The Netherlands
Full name: Alexia Juliana Marcela Laurentian
Alexia is the second of the three daughters of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Alexia of the Netherlands

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Mary Tudor and her husband Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk; Credit – Wikipedia

June 25, 1242 – Birth of Beatrice of England, Countess of Richmond, daughter of King Henry III of England, in Bordeaux, Duchy of Aquitaine, now in France
In 1260, Beatrice married John of Dreux, the eldest son of John I, Duke of Brittany. In 1268, King Henry III granted the title Earl of Richmond to John I, Duke of Brittany as an enticement when tensions rose with France. However, John I soon transferred the title Earl of Richmond to his son and heir John of Dreux, who also became John II, Duke of Brittany upon his father’s death in 1286. John of Dreux became Duke of Brittany after the death of Beatrice so she never became Duchess of Brittany. Beatrice died on March 24, 1275, aged 32, in London, England while visiting her brother King Edward I of England. Possibly she died due to childbirth complications as her youngest child Eleanor was born in London in 1275.
Unofficial Royalty: Beatrice of England, Countess of Richmond

June 25, 1533 – Death of Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, sister of King Henry VIII of England and wife of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, at Westhorpe Hall in Suffolk, England; originally buried in the Abbey at Bury St. Edmunds, reburied at St. Mary’s Church in Bury St. Edmunds, England
From Susan: Several years ago, after some questions on our forum about Mary’s reburial, I emailed St. Mary’s Church in Bury St. Edmunds and got this response: “In reply to your query, yes, Mary Tudor daughter of Henry VII and sister of Henry VIII was originally buried in the Abbey at Bury St. Edmunds.  Her coffin was brought here at the Dissolution of the Monasteries and is now in the crypt.  The original grave slab survives and is in the sanctuary near the altar, there is also a later inscription and insignia on the wall and a marble kerb given by Edward VII.  In the Lady Chapel there is a stained glass window given by Queen Victoria which depicts Mary’ life.  St. Mary’s church was part of the Abbey complex and is still the town church; it occupies a corner of the Great Churchyard and so is close to the Abbey ruins.”
Unofficial Royalty: Mary Tudor, Queen of France, Duchess of Suffolk

June 25, 1755 – Birth of Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna, Tsarevna of Russia, born Wilhelmina Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt, first wife of the future  Paul I, Emperor of All Russia in Prenzlau, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Name after marriage: Natalia Alexeievna
In 1772, Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia was searching for a bride for her 18-year-old son and heir Grand Duke Paul Petrovich (the future Paul I, Emperor of All Russia). Catherine the Great asked Friedrich II of Prussia for recommendations and his thoughts immediately turned to the three unmarried daughters of Karoline, Landgravine of Hesse-Darmstadt: Amalie, Wilhelmine, and Luise. Empress Catherine invited Landgravine Karoline and her three daughters to St. Petersburg. It did not take Paul long to make his choice. Paul was charmed by Wilhelmine.  Wilhelmine converted to Russian Orthodoxy on August 15, 1773, taking the name Natalia Alexeievna. Sadly, three years later, 20-year-old Natalia died after six days of agonizing labor along with her child, a son.
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelmine Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt, Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna, Tsarevna of Russia

June 25, 1864 – Death of King Wilhelm I of Württemberg at Schloss Rosenstein in Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg, now in Baden-of Württemberg, Germany; buried at the Württemberg Mausoleum in Stuttgart
Wilhelm became King of Württemberg upon his father’s death in  1816.  He came to the throne during a very difficult time in Württemberg, with 1816 being known as the Year Without A Summer when the very cold temperatures resulted in food shortages. However, Wilhelm and his wife Ekaterina Pavlovna of Russia are credited with making great strides to alleviate the suffering, establishing policies and reforms which helped the people of Württemberg, regardless of social class. The king arranged for food and livestock to be imported, and established an Agricultural Academy to help promote the growth of crops and better general nutrition amongst his people. The Queen established numerous charities to help the poor and was behind the establishment of the Württemberg State Savings Bank.
Unofficial Royalty: King Wilhelm I of Württemberg

June 25, 1884 – Birth of Empress Teimei of Japan, wife of Emperor Taishō, born Lady Sadako Kujō in Tokyo, Japan
The future Emperor Taishō, had cerebral meningitis when he was three weeks old and this affected his health and his mental capacity, including a speech disorder and difficulty walking, for the rest of his life. Due to his health issues, he was often unable to continue his studies, and he was a poor student in areas requiring higher-level thinking. Because of Yoshihito’s diminished mental capacity, his father Emperor Meiji wanted an intelligent, articulate, and dignified wife for his son, and he found those qualities in Lady Sadako Kujō.
Unofficial Royalty: Empress Teimei of Japan

June 25, 1900 – Birth of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, son of Prince Ludwig (Louis) of Battenberg (later 1st Marquess of Milford Haven) and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine and uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Frogmore House in Windsor, England
Birth name: Prince Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas of Battenberg
Born Prince Louis of Battenberg at Frogmore House in Windsor, England, he was the youngest child of Prince Louis (Ludwig) of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Almost from birth, he was known as Dickie. His mother’s younger sister was Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia, and in his childhood, Dickie was close to her children. At a very young age, he began a “lifelong love affair” with one of them – Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna – and kept a framed photo of her by his bed for his entire life.
Unofficial Royalty: Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma

June 25, 1911 – Death of Maria Clotilde of Savoy, Princess Napoleon, daughter of King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy, at the Castle of Moncalieri in Montcalieri, Italy; buried at the Basilica of Superga in Turin, Italy
Maria Clotilde married Napoléon-Jérôme Bonaparte, son of Jérôme Bonaparte, the brother of Emperor Napoleon I, and Princess Catherine of Württemberg. Maria Clotilde was fifteen and Napoléon-Jérôme was 37. Maria Clotilde was not impressed by her portly, anti-clerical liberal fiancé. Her innocence, piety, and sense of duty clashed with Napoléon-Jérôme’s love of wine, women, and food. Several years after the fall of the Second French Empire in 1870, Maria Clotilde and her husband quietly separated and she returned to Turin, Italy with her daughter. Maria Clotilde continued her life of devotion and charity after her return to Italy. She spent her final years at the traditional summer residence of the Savoy family, the Castle of Moncalieri in Montcalieri, a town located just outside of Turin.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Clotilde of Savoy, Princess Napoleon

June 25, 1914 – Death of Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen at Bad Wildungen, Principality of Waldeck, now in Hesse, Germany; buried in the Park Cemetery in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany
Georg, passionate about the theatre, established the Meiningen Theater in the late 1860s and early 1870s, with the help of his third wife Ellen Franz, a former actress. The company toured extensively throughout Germany and Europe from 1874-1890 and became renowned for its attention to detail and authenticity both in its sets and costumes and in the portrayals of the characters. Georg himself drew upon his extensive knowledge of history and art, and designed many of the costumes and scenery, as well as choreographing many of the large crowd scenes within the productions. Having been interested in theatre since his youth, he was able to spend much of his time, effort, and money to create theatre productions that conveyed both lifelike reality and historical accuracy.
Unofficial Royalty: Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

June 25, 1937 – Birth of Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait in Kuwait City, Kuwait
Upon the death of his half-brother Sabah IV Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait on September 29, 2020, 83-year-old Crown Prince Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah was been named by the Kuwaiti Council of Ministers as his successor. During a special session of the National Assembly on September 30, 2020, Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 16th Ruler and 6th Emir of Kuwait, took the constitutional oath as Emir of Kuwait.
Unofficial Royalty: Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait

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María de las Mercedes of Orléans, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

 June 24, 1246 – Death of Richard FitzRoy, illegitimate son of King John of England, at Chilham Castle in Chilham, Kent, England; buried at St. Mary’s Churchyard in Chilham, Kent, England

Unofficial Royalty: Richard FitzRoy, Illegitimate Son of King John of England

June 24, 1291 – Death of Eleanor of Provence, Queen of England, wife of King Henry III of England, at the Abbey of St. Mary and St. Melor in Amesbury, England; buried at the Abbey of St. Mary and St. Melor in Amesbury, England
King Henry III died in 1272 after a 56-year reign, making him the fourth longest-reigning British monarch after Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Victoria, and King George III. Eleanor survived her husband for 19 years and helped raise several of her grandchildren. In 1280, Eleanor retired to the Abbey of St Mary and St Melor in Amesbury, England where she died on June 24/25, 1291. It appears that Eleanor requested that she be buried with her husband at Westminster Abbey, but was buried at the Abbey of St. Mary and St. Melor where she had died. Eleanor’s remains were lost when the Abbey was destroyed in 1539 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.  Her heart was buried at London’s Greyfriars Monastery which was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666.
Unofficial Royalty: Eleanor of Provence, Queen of England

June 24, 1311 – Birth of Philippa of Hainault, Queen of England, wife of King Edward III of England, at Valenciennes, Flanders, now in France
King Edward III and Philippa married at York Minster in York, England.  The couple’s main home was Woodstock Palace in Oxfordshire, England.  It was Philippa’s favorite residence and the birthplace of four of her thirteen children including her eldest child, Edward the Black Prince, who was born days before her sixteenth birthday.  The sons of Edward III and Philippa married into the English nobility and it was their descendants who later battled for the throne in the Wars of the Roses.
Unofficial Royalty: Philippa of Hainault, Queen of England

June 24, 1509 – Coronation of King Henry VIII of England and his first wife Catherine of Aragon at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Wikipedia: Coronation of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon

June 24, 1532 – Birth of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, favorite of Queen Elizabeth I of England
Queen Mary I died on November 17, 1558, and her younger half-sister came to the throne as Queen Elizabeth I. Because Robert had been a companion of Elizabeth’s half-brother King Edward VI, the two were well-acquainted and it was natural for the new queen to turn to him to be one of her most trusted courtiers. The day after her accession to the throne, Elizabeth named Robert her Master of the Horse. Although it is a ceremonial role today, it was an important role in Tudor times. Robert remained a powerful and important political figure for the rest of his life. From the beginning of Elizabeth’s reign in 1558 until his death in 1588, Robert was one of her most conscientious privy councilors.
Unofficial Royalty: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

June 24, 1768 – Death of Maria Leszczynska of Poland, Queen of France, wife of King Louis XV of France at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France; buried at the Basilica of St. Denis near Paris, France
As Queen, Marie maintained the strict protocol and etiquette of the French court and fully embraced her role and responsibilities of her ceremonial role. However, when not at official functions, she preferred to retreat to her private apartments, spending time with a small group of close friends and confidants. Having held her position for nearly 43 years, Queen Marie was the longest-serving Queen consort in the French monarchy.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Leszczynska of Poland, Queen of France

June 24, 1818 – Birth of Karl Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in Weimar, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, now in Thuringia, Germany
Full name: Karl Alexander August Johann
Karl Alexander married Princess Sophie of the Netherlands, the daughter of King Willem II of the Netherlands and Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of Russia. As their mothers were sisters, Karl Alexander and Sophie were first cousins. They had four children but their only son predeceased his father and so he was succeeded by his grandson Wilhelm Ernst.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

June 24, 1824 – Birth of Agnes of Anhalt-Dessau, Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg, wife of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Full name: Friederike Amalie Agnes
As Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg, Agnes became very involved in charity work, particularly in the area of nursing and education.  From all accounts, her marriage was a very happy one and Agnes and Ernst were very devoted to each other. For their 25th anniversary in 1878, Ernst gave Agnes the Princess Cross – a newly created miniature of the Knight’s Cross First Class of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order. They also established the Ernst-Agnes Foundation. In 1893, Agnes wrote a book entitled ‘A Word to Israel’, which discussed anti-semitism and Christianity in Germany.
Unofficial Royalty: Agnes of Anhalt-Dessau, Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg

June 24, 1860 – Birth of María de las Mercedes of Orléans, Queen of Spain, first wife of King Alfonso XII of Spain at the Palacio Real in Madrid, Spain
Full name: María de las Mercedes Isabel Francisca de Asís Antonia Luisa Fernanda Felipa Amalia Cristina Francisca de Paula Ramona Rita Cayetana Manuela Juana Josefa Joaquina Ana Rafaela Filomena Teresa Santísima Trinidad Gaspara Melchora Baltasara et omni sancti
Mercedes married her first cousin King Alfonso XII of Spain in January 1878. In June 1878, it was announced that Mercedes was pregnant and the country rejoiced. However, the joy was short-lived as Mercedes suffered a miscarriage. Shortly after the miscarriage, Mercedes became suddenly ill. Within hours, she was at death’s door with typhoid fever. Mercedes died two days after her 18th birthday, on June 26, 1878,
Unofficial Royalty: Mercedes of Orléans, Queen of Spain

June 24, 1869 – Birth of Prince George of Greece, son of King George I of Greece, at Mon Repos in Corfu, 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 of the United Kingdom. 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 of the United Kingdom.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince George of Greece

June 24, 1899 – Death of Kapiʻolani, Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Islands, wife of Kalākaua, King of the Hawaiian Islands, at her private residence Pualeilani in Waikīkī, Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, then in the US Territory of Hawaii, now in the state of Hawaii; initially buried in the Royal Mausoleum at Mauna ʻAla in Honolulu, transferred to the underground Kalākaua Crypt on the Royal Mausoleum grounds

Unofficial Royalty: Kapiʻolani, Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Islands

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Maria Leszczyńska of Poland, Queen of France; Credit – Wikipedia

June 23, 1456 – Birth of Margaret of Denmark, Queen of Scots, daughter of King Christian I of Denmark and wife of James III, King of Scots, in Copenhagen, Denmark
Margaret was a popular queen and was described as beautiful, gentle, and reasonable. Many later historians called her far better qualified to rule than her husband. During the crisis of 1482, when her husband was deprived of power for several months, Margaret showed a greater interest in the welfare of her children than that of her husband, and this apparently led to the couple’s alienation. When Margaret died at the age of 30, there were suspicions that she had been poisoned by John Ramsay, 1st Lord Bothwell, a confidant of James III, although no evidence was found to support the charge. At the request of James III, Pope Innocent VIII commissioned an investigation of Margaret’s virtues and alleged miracles for possible canonization, but without result.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of Denmark, Queen of Scots

June 23, 1703 – Birth of Maria Leszczyńska of Poland, Queen of France, wife of King Louis XV of France in Trzebnica, Silesia, now Lower Silesia in Poland
Full name: Maria Karolina Zofia Felicja
As Queen, Marie maintained the strict protocol and etiquette of the French court and fully embraced her role and responsibilities of her ceremonial role. However, when not at official functions, she preferred to retreat to her private apartments, spending time with a small group of close friends and confidants. Having held her position for nearly 43 years, Queen Marie was the longest-serving Queen consort in the French monarchy.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Leszczyńska of Poland, Queen of France

June 23, 1763 – Birth of Empress Joséphine, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, born Marie Josèphe Rose de Tascher de la Pagerie on Martinique in the West Indies
Joséphine was unable to give Napoleon an heir. Without a son, Napoleon had named Joséphine’s grandson (and his own nephew), Napoleon Charles Bonaparte, as his heir. But after the young Napoleon died in 1807, Emperor Napoleon began to consider finding another wife who could provide him with a son. In November 1809, he told Joséphine that he planned to divorce her and find a new wife. She agreed to a divorce, and an elaborate divorce ceremony was held. Joséphine retained her title as Empress as well as her rank at court and received a pension of 5 million francs per year.
Unofficial Royalty: Joséphine de Beauharnais, Empress of the French

June 23, 1820 – Death of Luise Karoline Geyer von Geyersberg, Countess of Hochberg, morganatic second wife of Grand Duke Karl Friedrich of Baden in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany; buried at St. Michael’s Church in Pforzheim, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Luise Karoline was the second, and morganatic, wife of the future Grand Duke Karl Friedrich of Baden. Luise Karoline and Grand Duke Karl Friedrich of Baden had five children. At the time of the marriage, Karl Friedrich created Luise Karoline Baroness of Hochberg, and their children were not included in the line of succession. In 1817, Karl Friedrich and Luise Karoline’s children were elevated to Prince/Princess of Baden, and in the following year, the Baden Congress formally confirmed their succession rights.
Unofficial Royalty: Luise Karoline Geyer von Geyersberg, Countess of Hochberg

June 23, 1859 – Death of Maria Pavlovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach at Schloss Belvedere in Weimar, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried at the Russian Orthodox Chapel adjoining the Weimarer Fürstengruft in the Historical Cemetery in Weimar
Maria Pavlovna of Russia was the daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia and his second wife, Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. In 1804, she married the future Grand Duke Karl Friedrich of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. They had four children including Augusta who married Wilhelm I, King of Prussia and Emperor of Germany. Maria strongly supported and promoted the arts in Weimar, and her patronages included the noted composer Franz Liszt who was appointed to her court. She maintained lifelong correspondences with several prominent writers, poets, and musicians including Vasily Zhukovsky, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Friedrich Schiller. Following her husband’s death in 1853, Maria retired from public life. Two years later, she returned to Russia for the last time, for the coronation of her nephew Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Pavlovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

June 23, 1894 – Birth of King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom at White Lodge in Richmond Park, Surrey, England
Full name: Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David
Upon the death of his father King George V in 1936, Edward, known as David in his family, succeeded to the throne. Only months into his reign, a constitutional crisis was caused by his proposal to marry Wallis Simpson, an American who had divorced her first husband and was seeking a divorce from her second. The prime ministers of the United Kingdom and the self-governing countries of the British Empire opposed the marriage, arguing a divorced woman with two living ex-husbands was politically and socially unacceptable as a prospective queen consort. When it became apparent he could not marry Wallis and remain on the throne, Edward abdicated and was succeeded by his younger brother George VI. After his abdication, Edward was created Duke of Windsor. He married Wallis in France on June 3, 1937, after her second divorce became final.
Unofficial Royalty: King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, Duke of Windsor

June 23, 2021 – Death of Archduke Leopold Franz of Austria
Archduke Leopold Franz of Austria was the Pretender to the former Grand Ducal throne of Tuscany from 1984 until renouncing his rights in favor of his son in 1993.
Unofficial Royalty: Archduke Leopold Franz of Austria

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King George V of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

June 22, 1807 – Birth of Cecilia of Sweden, Grand Duchess of Oldenburg, daughter of King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden and third wife of Grand Duke August I of Oldenburg, at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden
Cecilia was not yet two years old when her father was deposed as King of Sweden in 1809. The family moved to Baden, and her parents divorced three years later. Cecilia met her future husband. Grand Duke August stopped in Baden during his travels, and within just an hour of conversation, he asked for her hand in marriage. Cecilia then moved to Vienna, where her brother was serving in the court of the Austrian Emperor Franz I. There, on May 5, 1831, Cecilia and August were married.
Unofficial Royalty: Cecilia of Sweden, Grand Duchess of Oldenburg

June 22, 1911 – Coronation of King George V of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey in London, England
George V’s wife Queen Mary was crowned with him. Following the traditional Coronation ceremony, including the homage of their eldest son, The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII, and Duke of Windsor), the newly crowned King and Queen returned to Buckingham Palace, where they appeared on the balcony several times throughout the day.
Unofficial Royalty: Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary

June 22, 1911 – Birth of Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Tatoi Palace in Greece
Cecilie married her first cousin once removed, Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. He was the son of Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and his second wife Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich. Cecilie’s life came to a tragic end on November 16, 1937. A very pregnant Cecilie, her husband, their two sons, and her mother-in-law, were traveling by plane to London to attend the wedding of Don’s brother, Prince Ludwig and Margaret Geddes four days later. Facing bad weather, the plane was unable to land in Brussels, Belgium as scheduled and was instead diverted to Ostend, Belgium. While attempting to land, the plane clipped a chimney on a factory near the airport and then crashed leaving no survivors.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Hesse

June 22, 1912 – Birth of Caroline Mathilde of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Countess of Castell-Rüdenhausen, daughter of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, at Schloss Callenberg in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Caroline Matilda Helen Louise Augusta Beatrice
Known as Calma, she had an unhappy marriage with her first husband Count Friedrich Wolfgang of Castell-Rüdenhausen and they divorced. During World War II, Friedrich Wolfgang was killed in action while flying over England. Calma’s second husband was Captain Max Schnirring, a famous pilot whose aviation career began during World War I. Max was one of the first pilots for Deutsche Luft Hansa, a precursor to today’s Lufthansa. He died during a test flight when his plane crashed into a field.
Unofficial Royalty: Caroline Mathilde of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Countess of Castell-Rüdenhausen

June 22, 1961 – Death of Maria of Romania, Queen of Yugoslavia, wife of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia, in London, England; first buried at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in Windsor, England; reburied at the Royal Family Mausoleum at Oplenac in Topola, Serbia
Marie’s husband King Alexander was assassinated in 1934. The couple’s eldest son Peter became King of Yugoslavia at the age of 11, and a regency was established, led by King Alexander’s cousin, Prince Paul of Yugoslavia. In 1941, the family was forced into exile following the Axis invasion, and Queen Marie settled at a cottage in the countryside of England, where she remained for the rest of her life. In 1947, the Communist government of Yugoslavia formally revoked her Yugoslavian citizenship and confiscated all of her property and assets. Marie who was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, lived a rather quiet life in England, pursuing her interests in painting and sculpting. When she died, was buried at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore in Windsor, England. In 2013, her remains were exhumed and repatriated to Serbia where they were reburied at the Royal Family Mausoleum at Oplenac, along with those of her sons, Prince Andrej and King Peter II and King Peter’s wife, Queen Alexandra.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria of Romania, Queen of Yugoslavia

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