June 7: Today in Royal History

© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Statue of Robert the Bruce in Stirling, Scotland; Credit – Wikipedia by Ally Crockford – Own work

June 7, 1329 – Death of Robert I, King of Scots (Robert the Bruce) at the Manor of Cardross, near Dumbarton, Scotland; buried at Dunfermline Abbey in Fife, Scotland
Robert the Bruce is a Scottish national hero and was King of Scots during the First War of Scottish Independence.  The Scots refused to tolerate English rule, resulting in the Wars of Scottish Independence, a series of military campaigns fought between Scotland and England, first led by William Wallace and, after his execution, led by Robert the Bruce. Robert the Bruce, as Earl of Carrick and 7th Lord of Annandale, held estates and property in Scotland, a barony and some minor properties in England, and a strong claim to the throne of Scotland. On March 27, 1306, Robert the Bruce was proclaimed Robert I, King of Scots, and the crown was placed on his head by Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan. According to tradition, the ceremony of crowning the monarch was performed by a representative of Clan MacDuff.
Unofficial Royalty: Robert I, King of Scots

June 7, 1394 – Death of Anne of Bohemia, Queen of England, first wife of King Richard II, at Sheen Palace in Surrey, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
In June 1394, Anne became ill with the plague while at Sheen Palace with her husband. She died three days later on June 7, 1394, at the age of 28. King Richard II was so devastated by Anne’s death that he ordered Sheen Palace to be destroyed. For almost 20 years, it lay in ruins until King Henry V started a rebuilding project in 1414. Richard II gave Anne a magnificent funeral. The funeral procession went from Sheen Palace to Westminster Abbey, lit by candles and torches made from wax specially imported from Flanders. Those in the procession were dressed all in black and wore black hoods. King Richard was angered when Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel, arrived late for the funeral. The king struck the earl in the face with his scepter.
Unofficial Royalty: Anne of Bohemia, Queen of England

June 7, 1840 – Birth of Princess Charlotte of Belgium, Empress Carlotta of Mexico, daughter of King Leopold I of the Belgians, wife of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico (born an Archduke of Austria), at the Royal Castle in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
Full name: Maria Charlotta Amelia Augusta Victoria Clementina Leopoldina
In 1861, Charlotte’s husband, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, accepted the offer of becoming Emperor of Mexico. The liberal forces led by Benito Juárez, the former president whom the French had deposed, refused to recognize his rule. There was continuous warfare between the French troops and the forces of Juárez, who wanted a republic. Maximilian was condemned to death, and on June 19, 1867, he was executed by a firing squad. After her return to Belgium, Charlotte developed a mental illness and was declared insane.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Charlotte of Belgium, Empress Carlotta of Mexico

June 7, 1840 – Death of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia, in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany; buried in the Mausoleum in the garden of Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin
After the early death of his first wife, Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the mother of his nine children, Friedrich Wilhelm III instituted an order that her family should mourn her death each year on July 19, the anniversary of her death. Luise was buried in the garden of Charlottenburg Palace, where her husband had a mausoleum built over her grave. Friedrich Wilhelm III survived his first wife by thirty years and was buried by her side. His second wife, Countess Auguste von Harrach, survived him by 33 years and is also buried in the mausoleum, although she has no stone or marker.
Unofficial Royalty: King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia

June 7, 1876 – Death of Queen Josefina of Sweden, born Joséphine of Leuchtenberg, wife of King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway in Stockholm, Sweden; buried at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden
Queen Josefina was the daughter of Eugène de Beauharnais, the son of Empress Joséphine (Napoleon Bonaparte‘s first wife) from her first marriage to Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais, who had been guillotined during the French Revolution. Her mother was Princess Augusta of Bavaria, daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. In 1823, Josefina married King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway. The couple had five children, including two Kings of Sweden and Norway. Josefina brought to Sweden jewelry that had belonged to her grandmother, Empress Josephine, still worn by the Swedish and Norwegian royal families. The Cameo Tiara, originally made for her grandmother, Joséphine, Empress of the French, was worn by her descendant, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, at her wedding in 2010. Photos of both women wearing the Cameo Tiara are in the article linked below. Josefina survived her husband for 17 years and died in Stockholm on June 7, 1876, at age 69. She remained Roman Catholic, was given a Catholic funeral, and was buried with her husband at Riddarholmen Church.
Unofficial Royalty: Joséphine of Leuchtenberg, Queen Josefina of Sweden

June 7, 1907 – Birth of Prince Sigvard of Sweden, later Sigvard Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg, son of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, at Drottningholm Palace in Drottningholm, Sweden
Full name: Sigvard Oscar Fredrik
Sigvard lost his style His Royal Highness and his title of Prince of Sweden when he married a commoner. In 1951, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg conferred on him the title of Count of Wisborg. Sigvard died in 2002, in Stockholm, Sweden. He was 94 years old, and for the last eight years of his life, he was the eldest living great-grandchild of Queen Victoria and her longest-lived descendant.
Unofficial Royalty: Sigvard Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg

June 7, 1960 – Birth of Prince Radu of Romania, husband of Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, born Radu Duda in Iaşi, Romania
Radu Duda is the husband of Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, the eldest of the five daughters of the late former King Michael I of Romania, who abdicated in 1947 when Romania ceased to be a monarchy. Margareta and Radu live at the Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest, Romania, and undertake public engagements in Romania and in other countries that help contribute to the successful modernization of Romania, reconcile with the past, and link Romania to other countries.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Radu of Romania

June 7, 1969 – Birth of Prince Joachim of Denmark, son of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, at the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Joachim Holger Valdemar Christian
Joachim is the younger of the two sons of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. In 1995, he married Alexandra Manley. The couple had two sons and divorced in 2005. Joachim married Marie Cavallier in 2008, and they have one son and one daughter. In September 2020, Prince Joachim started work as the defense attaché at the Danish Embassy in Paris, France. With the appointment, Joachim received the permanent rank of brigadier general. During the summer of 2023, Joachim and his family moved to Washington, DC, in the United States, where he works as the defense attaché at the Danish Embassy.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Joachim of Denmark

June 7, 2002 – Death of Princess Lilian of Belgium, Princess de Réthy, born Lilian Baels, second wife of King Leopold III of the Belgians, at the Château d’Argenteuil, near Waterloo, Belgium; buried at Royal Vault at the Church of Our Lady in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
Despite surviving her husband by nearly 20 years, it was at his funeral that Princess Lilian made her last official public appearance. She spent the remaining years of her life pursuing her interests in medicine (having established a Cardiology Foundation in 1958 following her son Alexandre’s heart surgery the previous year in the United States) and editing her husband’s memoirs “Pour l’Histoire” (For History), published in 2001.  Princess Lilian’s funeral was held at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken, attended by the entire Belgian royal family except for her elder daughter, Marie-Christine, who had completely severed all ties with her family. Princess Lilian was interred in the Royal Crypt, beside her husband and his first wife, Queen Astrid, who tragically died at a young age in a car accident.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Lilian, Princess de Réthy

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Cnut V, King of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

A coin with the image of Cnut V, King of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Cnut V was King of Denmark from 1146 to 1157, as co-king in shifting alliances with Sweyn III and Valdemar I. Born circa 1129, Cnut V was the son of Magnus (the Strong) Nielsen, the son of Niels I, King of Denmark, and Richeza of Poland.

On January 7, 1131, Cnut V’s father, Magnus the Strong, killed his cousin Cnut Lavard, Duke of Schleswig, the son of Eric I, King of Denmark, because he viewed Cnut Lavard as a rival to the Danish throne. The murder of Cnut Lavard started several years of civil war between King Niels and his son Magnus the Strong against Cnut Lavard’s illegitimate half-brother Eric Emune, the future Eric II, King of Denmark.

The civil war between the family members culminated on June 4, 1134, when the two sides fought the Battle of Fodevig near Lund in Scania, now in Sweden. The battle was a decisive victory for Eric Emune, who became the next King of Denmark as Eric II. Cnut V’s father, Magnus the Strong, was killed in battle, and his grandfather, King Niels, fled to Schleswig, where the citizens avenged Cnut Lavard, their beloved Duke of Schleswig, by murdering King Niels on June 25, 1134. Now a widow, Cnut V’s mother Richeza left her two sons in Denmark, returned to Poland, and married two more times.

In 1146, Eric III, King of Denmark became seriously ill and abdicated. Sweyn Grathe (Sweyn III), son of Eric II, King of Denmark, was elected King of Denmark by the nobles in Zealand, and Cnut Magnusson (Cnut V) was elected King of Denmark by the nobles in Jutland. For eleven years, there was a civil war, the Feud of 1146 – 1157, for the control of the Kingdom of Denmark, fought between King Sweyn III, King Cnut V, and King Valdemar I, the son of murdered Saint Cnut Lavard, Duke of Schleswig and the grandson of King Eric I of Denmark.

Cnut V traveled to Sweden to console his mother after the assassination of her third husband, Sverker I, King of Sweden. While in Sweden, Cnut V married a daughter of Sverker I from his first marriage, whose name is believed to be Helen.

Cnut V and Helen had four children:

In 1154, Cnut V joined with Valdemar I, and they were recognized as Co-Kings. In July 1157, Sweyn III, Cnut V, and Valdemar agreed to divide the Kingdom of Denmark between the three of them and serve as Co-Kings. This agreement barely lasted for a month.

The murder of Cnut V, King of Denmark at the Blood Feast of Roskilde; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 9, 1157, in what was supposed to be a reconciliation feast at Cnut V’s royal estate in Roskilde, Denmark, Sweyn III attempted to assassinate his rivals, Cnut V and Valdemar I. According to the Danish historian, theologian, and author Saxo Grammaticus (circa 1160 – after 1208), Sweyn III had planned the murder of his rivals and had his men carry out the attack. Cnut V, aged about twenty-eight, was killed, but Valdemar escaped, although he was wounded. This incident, known as the Blood Feast of Roskilde, is a significant historical event in Danish history. Cnut V’s burial site is unknown, but since he died in Roskilde, he may have been buried at Roskilde Cathedral.

Valdemar I defeated Sweyn III in the Battle of Grathe Heath on October 23, 1157. After the battle, while fleeing from the battlefield, Sweyn III was killed by a group of peasants. Having survived his rival pretenders to the Danish throne, Valdemar I became the sole King of Denmark, reigning until he died in 1182.

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.

Works Cited

  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2007). Knut V Dänischer König. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knut_V._(D%C3%A4nemark)
  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2006). Blodgildet i Roskilde. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blodgildet_i_Roskilde
  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2003). Knud 5 Konge af Danmark (1129-1157). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knud_5.
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Niels, King of Denmark. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/niels-king-of-denmark/
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Sweyn III, King of Denmark. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/sweyn-iii-king-of-denmark/
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Canute V of Denmark. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Helen of Sweden (12th century). Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Royal News Recap for Thursday, June 5, 2025

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Unofficial Royalty

Japan

Jordan

Multiple Monarchies

Netherlands

Spain

United Kingdom

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June 6: Today in Royal History

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Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, Empress of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

June 6, 1625 – Death of Anna Maria von Boskowitz and Černahora, Princess of Liechtenstein, wife of Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein in Plumov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic; buried in the Old Crypt at the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, then in Moravia, now in the Czech Republic
In 1590, Anna Maria married Baron Karl von Liechtenstein, the future first Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein. Anna Maria and Karl had four children, including Karl Eusebius, Prince of Liechtenstein. Anna Maria died, aged 50, on June 6, 1625, in Plumov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. She was buried in the Old Crypt at the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, founded by Karl’s younger brother Maximilian and his wife Katharina, Anna Maria’s sister.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna Maria von Boskowitz and Černahora, Princess of Liechtenstein

June 6, 1710 – Death of Louise de La Vallière, Duchess of La Vallière and Duchess of  Vaujours, mistress of King Louis XIV of France, at Notre-Dame-des-Champs, a Carmelite convent in the Faubourg Saint-Jacques in Paris, France, as Sister Louise de la Miséricorde; buried in the convent cemetery
Louise was the mistress of King Louis XIV of France from 1661 until 1667. By 1670, having been forced to remain at court and live with Louis XIV’s new mistress, Madame de Montespan, Louise became ill and at one point was near death. Upon recovering, she sought solace in religion, and the following year, she decided to leave court and enter a convent. However, Louis XIV forced her to return for several years. Finally, in 1674, she was permitted to leave the court and enter the Carmelite convent in Faubourg-Saint-Jacques. She took her vows the following year, becoming Sister Louise de la Miséricorde.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise de La Vallière, Duchess of La Vallière and Duchess of  Vaujours

June 6, 1714 – Birth of King José I of Portugal at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal
Full name: José Francisco António Inácio Norberto Agostinho
To strengthen an alliance with Spain, a double marriage between Portugal and Spain was arranged between José and Mariana Victoria of Spain, daughter of Felipe V, King of Spain, and between José’s elder sister Barbara and Felipe V’s son and heir Fernando, Prince of Asturias, later Fernando VI, King of Spain. José and Mariana Victoria had four daughters, including his successor Maria I, the first reigning Queen of Portugal.
Unofficial Royalty: King José I of Portugal

June 6, 1772 – Birth of Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, Empress of Austria, second wife of Emperor Franz I of Austria, at the Royal Palace of Naples in the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily
Maria Theresa married her double first cousin, Archduke Franz of Austria, later Emperor of Austria. This was Franz’s second marriage and the only one of his four marriages that resulted in surviving children. Seven of their twelve children survived to adulthood. Among the children of Franz and Maria Theresa were: Marie-Louise, the second wife of Napoleon Bonaparte; Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria; and Maria Leopoldina, the wife of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil. Maria Theresa’s twelfth child lived only three days, and Maria Theresa also died, a week later, due to birth complications at the age of 34.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, Empress of Austria

June 6, 1836 – Death of King Anton of Saxony in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany; buried in the Wettin Crypt at the Dresden Cathedral
Anton became King of Saxony upon the death of his elder brother, King Friedrich August I, who had only one surviving child, a daughter. Anton also had no male heirs. His first marriage was childless, and the one son and three daughters from his second marriage either died at birth or died in infancy. Anton was succeeded by his nephew, King Friedrich August II.
Unofficial Royalty: King Anton of Saxony

June 6, 1872 – Birth of Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia, wife of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, at the Neues Palais in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Victoria Alix Helene Luise Beatrice
A grandchild of Queen Victoria, Alix is best remembered as Alexandra Feodorovna, the last Empress of Russia, who transmitted hemophilia to her only son and who was assassinated along with her husband, Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, and five children during the Russian Revolution.
Unofficial Royalty: Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia

June 6, 1934 – Birth of King Albert II of Belgium at Stuyvenberg Castle in Brussels, Belgium
Full name: Albert Félix Humbert Théodore Chrétien Eugène Marie
In early July 2013, King Albert announced his intention to abdicate, citing health reasons. On July 21, 2013, Belgium’s National Day, he signed the formal abdication document and was succeeded by his son, King Philippe.
Unofficial Royalty: King Albert II of Belgium

June 6, 2012 – Death of Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, son of Prince Mikasa of Japan, at the Sasaki Institute Kyoundo Hospital in Tokyo, Japan; buried at the Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery in Tokyo, Japan
Tomohito was the grandson of Emperor Taishō, the nephew of Emperor Hirohito (Shōwa), and the first cousin of Emperor Akihito.  He had serious health issues. In 1991, he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, which went into remission. Over the years, Tomohito was treated sixteen times for various forms of cancer, including larynx cancer, throat cancer, and recurrences of the cancers. He died from multiple organ failure due to the cancers.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Tomohito of Mikasa

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Royal News Recap for Wednesday, June 4, 2025

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Unofficial Royalty

Denmark

Greece

Japan

Netherlands

Norway

Spain

Sweden

United Kingdom

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June 5: Today in Royal History

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Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland; Credit – Wikipedia

June 5, 1296 – Death of Edmund Crouchback, Earl of Lancaster and Leicester, son of King Henry III of England, in London, England; buried in Westminster Abbey in London, England
Edmund was a loyal supporter of his brother, King Edward I of England. At the time of his death, he was the Lieutenant of Aquitaine and was conducting a siege of Bordeaux, the capital of Aquitaine, which the French had occupied. Edmund fell ill during the siege and died at the age of 51. He had declared that he would not be buried until his debts were paid.  His body was embalmed at a Franciscan abbey in Bayonne (France) and was not brought back to England until early 1297. Edmund’s remains were kept in a Franciscan convent in London until March 24, 1301, when he was buried in the presence of his brother, King Edward I, at Westminster Abbey in Edward the Confessor’s Chapel.
Unofficial Royalty: Edmund Crouchback, Earl of Lancaster and Leicester

June 5, 1341 – Birth of Edmund of Langley, Duke of York, son of King Edward III of England, in King’s Langley, Hertfordshire, England
Edmund married Infanta Isabella of Castile, the younger daughter of King Pedro the Cruel of Castile and the sister of Constance of Castile, the second wife of Edmund’s elder brother John of Gaunt. Isabella had accompanied her sister Constance to England when she married John of Gaunt. Through the marriage of Edmund’s younger son, Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge to Anne de Mortimer, great-granddaughter of Edmund’s elder brother Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence, the House of York made its claim to the English throne in the Wars of the Roses.  Richard of Conisburgh and his wife were the parents of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and the grandparents of King Edward IV and King Richard III.
Unofficial Royalty: Edmund of Langley, Duke of York

June 5, 1660 – Birth of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, favorite of Queen Anne of Great Britain, born Sarah Jennings at Holywell House in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England
Sarah is known for being a favorite of Queen Anne. Sarah and Anne became acquainted in childhood when Sarah was appointed a maid of honor to Anne’s stepmother Maria Beatrice of Modena. Sarah married John Churchill, an upcoming military leader, later the 1st Duke of Marlborough. Sarah and her husband John had seven children. Their children and grandchildren married into the British aristocracy. Among their more famous descendants are British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, Diana, Princess of Wales, and her son William, a future King of the United Kingdom.
Unofficial Royalty: Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough

June 5, 1757 – Death of Bernardina Christina of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, wife of Johann Friedrich, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, in Rudolstadt, then in the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia; first buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg at Schwarzburg Castle in Schwarzburg, now in the German state of Thuringia. In the early 1940s, her remains of were transferred to the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt in the German state of Thuringia before the demolition of the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg
In 1744, 20-year-old Bernardina Christina married 23-year-old Johann Friedrich, who had become the reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt just two months earlier. Bernadina Christina and Johann Friedrich had six children, but only two daughters survived childhood. Bernadina Christina was active in charitable causes. In 1756, she founded the Bernardina Abbey for noblewomen in Rudolstadt. However, she did not live to see the inauguration of the abbey in 1757. On June 5, 1757, aged 33, Bernadina Christina died in Rudolstadt, then in the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia.
Unofficial Royalty: Bernardina Christina of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

June 5, 1771 – Birth of King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland, son of King George III of the United Kingdom, at Buckingham Palace
Before the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837, the Hanover kings of the United Kingdom were also Electors and later Kings of Hanover in Germany.  Because of Hanover’s Salic Law, which forbade female succession, Victoria could not become the monarch of Hanover.  Her uncle, Ernest Augustus, became King of Hanover upon the death of his brother William. Ernst August V, Prince of Hanover, the husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco, is the senior direct male descendant of Ernest (and George III) and the pretender to the Hanover throne.
Unofficial Royalty: King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland

June 5, 1962 – Birth of Princess Astrid of Belgium, daughter of King Albert II of Belgium, at the Château de Belvédère in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
Full name: Astrid Joséphine-Charlotte Fabrizia Elisabeth Paola Maria
Astrid is the sister of Philippe, the current King of the Belgians. She often represents her brother, King Philippe, on foreign visits and gives her services to many organizations. In 1984, Astrid married Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este. Lorenz is the eldest son of Archduke Robert of Austria-Este, the second son of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, and has been the Head of the House of Austria-Este since 1996. Astrid and Lorenz had five children.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Astrid of Belgium

June 5, 1965 – Death of Prince Wilhelm of Sweden, Duke of Södermanland, son of King Gustaf V of Sweden, at Stenhammar Palace in Flen, Sweden; buried in the parish cemetery in Flen, Sweden
Wilhelm had an unsuccessful marriage to Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, a granddaughter of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, and the only daughter and the eldest of the two children of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia and Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark.  When Maria Pavlovna was only seventeen months old, her mother died shortly after giving premature birth to her second child. After her marriage, Maria was homesick in a strange country where the royal court was even more formal than the Russian court. Maria left her husband and son and returned to Russia, which caused a great scandal in Sweden. The marriage was officially dissolved and then confirmed by an edict issued by Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Wilhelm of Sweden, Duke of Södermanland

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Royal News Recap for Tuesday, June 3, 2025

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Unofficial Royalty

Belgium

Bourbon-Parma (former monarchy)

Japan

Jordan

Luxembourg

Monaco

Spain

Sweden

United Kingdom

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June 4: Today in Royal History

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Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, Princess of  Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

June 4, 1678 – Death of Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, Princess of Monaco, wife of Prince Louis I of Monaco, at the Palais Royal in Paris, France; buried at the now destroyed Couvent des Capucines in Paris, France
Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, the wife of Louis I, Prince of Monaco, had many affairs at the French court, including one with King Louis XIV and a long-time affair with her cousin, which Catherine-Charlotte continued after her marriage. The couple had five daughters and one son, Antonio I, Prince of Monaco. In 1665, Catherine-Charlotte left her husband and children in Monaco and returned to the French court because she found life at the Monaco court boring. At the French court, she continued her scandalous affairs. Catherine-Charlotte became seriously ill, probably with cancer, and died at the Palais Royal in Paris, France, on June 4, 1678, at the age of 39. She was buried at the now-destroyed Convent of the Capuchins in Paris, France. Catherine-Charlotte had not seen her husband Louis I during the last six years of her life, and Louis showed no grief over her death.
Unofficial Royalty: Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, Princess of Monaco

June 4, 1738 – Birth of King George III of the United Kingdom at Norfolk House, St. James Square in London, England
Full name: George William Frederick
King George III is the longest-reigning British king, having reigned for 59 years, 96 days. His length of reign is surpassed only by two queens, both his descendants, his granddaughter Queen Victoria and his great-great-great-great-granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II. George established himself as one of the more popular Hanoverian kings.  He was admired for his respectable private life and gained sympathy for his illness. He inherited the family’s love of music and was a patron of the arts and sciences.  George was very interested in agriculture, and his creation of model farms at Windsor earned him the nickname “Farmer George” which he adored.
Unofficial Royalty: King George III of the United Kingdom

June 4, 1923 – Birth of Princess Mikasa of Japan, wife of Prince Mikasa, born Yuriko Takagi at her family home in Tokyo, Japan
Princess Mikasa was the wife of the late Prince Mikasa, the youngest son of Emperor Taishō, the brother of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito), and the uncle of Emperor Akihito. Prince and Princess Mikasa had three sons and two daughters. All three sons predeceased their parents. Princess Mikasa’s husband died in 2016, at the age of 100, a little more than a month before his 101st birthday. At the time of his death, he was the world’s oldest royal and the longest-lived member of the Japanese Imperial Family. Five days before Prince Mikasa’s death, he and his wife celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary in his hospital room. Princess Mikasa survived her husband by eight years, dying of old age, on November 15, 2024, at St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo, Japan, aged 101.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Mikasa of Japan

June 4, 1941 – Death of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia, at Huis Doorn in Doorn, Netherlands; buried in a mausoleum on the grounds of Huis Doorn
A grandson of Queen Victoria, Wilhelm was the last German Emperor and the last King of Prussia. He abdicated on November 9, 1918. A day later, he crossed the border by train and went into exile in the Netherlands, never to return to Germany. Wilhelm purchased Huis Doorn, a small manor house outside of Doorn, a small town near Utrecht in the Netherlands.  As a condition of his exile, Wilhelm was allowed to travel freely within a radius of 15 miles from his house. Traveling further required that advance notice had to be given to local government officials.  Wilhelm did not like to be under the thumb of minor officials, so he rarely traveled further than the allowed 15 miles.  Wilhelm, aged 82, died of a pulmonary embolism at his home.
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelm II, German Emperor

June 4, 1990 – Birth of Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan, wife of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan, in Thimphu, Bhutan
On October 13, 2011, 21-year-old Jetsun Pema became the youngest queen in the world when she married King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan. The couple has two sons and a daughter. Queen Jestun Pema has accompanied her husband on foreign official trips, and she accompanies him on official visits throughout Bhutan.
Unofficial Royalty: Jetsun Pema, Queen of Bhutan

June 4, 2021 – Birth of Princess Lilibet of Sussex, daughter of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California
Full name: Lilibet Diana
Princess Lilibet of Sussex, nicknamed Lili, is the second of the two children and the only daughter of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and his wife, The Duchess of Sussex, the former Meghan Markle. Lili is named after her paternal great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and her paternal grandmother, Diana, Princess of Wales. Lilibet was Queen Elizabeth II’s family nickname, which originated from Queen Elizabeth II’s pronunciation of her name when she was young. Lili has dual citizenship from the United States and the United Kingdom.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Lilibet of Sussex

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Royal News Recap for Monday, June 2, 2025

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Saint Bendt’s Church in Ringsted, Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

History

Now an Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark, Saint Bendt’s Church in Ringsted, Denmark, was originally a Roman Catholic church, part of a Benedictine monastery. The first church, built around 1080, was located in the northern wing of the Ringsted Monastery. It was initially called the Church of Our Lady and Saint Cnut the Martyr, named for Cnut IV, King of Denmark, who was murdered in 1086, as he prayed at the altar of St. Alban’s Priory Church (link in Danish) at St. Alban’s Priory in Odense, Denmark.

Saint Cnut Lavard, Duke of Schleswig; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1115, Niels, King of Denmark created his nephew Cnut Lavard, the legitimate son of Niels’ brother Eric I, King of Denmark, the Earl of Schleswig. Cnut Lavard used the title Earl of Schleswig for a short time before he began to style himself Duke of Schleswig. He was the first of many Dukes of Schleswig.

Magnus Nielsen stands over the body of his cousin Cnud Lavard after the murder; illustration by Louis Moe, 1898; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 7, 1131, Cnut Lavard was killed by his cousin, King Niels’ son Magnus (the Strong) Nielsen, who saw Cnut Lavard as a rival to the Danish throne. The murder of Cnut Lavard started several years of civil war between King Niels and his son Magnus against Cnut Lavard’s illegitimate half-brother Eric Emune, the future Eric II, King of Denmark.

Cnut Lavard’s initial resting place was at Ringsted Monastery church, one of the earliest Benedictine houses in Denmark. In 1157, Canute Lavard’s remains were moved into a new chapel in the monastery church with the approval of his son, Valdemar I the Great, King of Denmark. Many miracles were said to have occurred there, and the monastery church immediately became a popular pilgrimage site. Because he was a murder victim, Cnut Lavard became a saint in the minds of the Danish people. He was canonized as a saint by Pope Alexander III in 1169, at the request of his son, King Valdemar I of Denmark. St. Cnut Lavard is the patron saint of Denmark, and his feast day is celebrated on January 7.

The nave of Saint Bendt’s Church; Credit – Wikipedia

With the funds raised from the pilgrims and King Valdemar I’s royal patronage, a second church was built in the Romanesque style from 1161 to 1170. The church is cross-shaped with a central tower, typical of Romanesque architecture. It is the oldest brick church in Scandinavia, and was named for the Italian Saint Benedict of Nursia (480 – 547), the founder of the Benedictine order. Benedict’s main achievement was the Rule of Saint Benedict, a set of rules for his monks to follow. St. Bendt’s Church served as the center of worship for King Valdemar I’s father, Saint Cnut Lavard.

Saint Cnut Lavard’s grave; Credit – www.findagrave.com

The still unfinished church was consecrated on June 25, 1170. Invitations were extended to the Kingdom of Denmark’s highest secular and clerical elite. At the consecration, Eskil, Archbishop of Lund, laid to rest Cnut Lavard’s remains in a magnificent gold casket in a chapel behind the high altar and crowned King Valdemar I’s seven-year-old son, King Cnut VI, as co-king and heir to the throne.

Over the years, there were Gothic-style modifications, including vaults replacing the original flat ceiling and the pointed arches in the tower. A fire in 1806 destroyed the monastery and damaged Saint Bendt’s Church. Because of this, the western wall was pulled down and replaced with an Empire-style facade. The original red brickwork of the church’s outer walls was covered with cement and limewashed.

Scene from the interior of Ringsted Church by Danish artist Constantin Hansen, 1829. In the foreground are the artist Constantin Hansen and his friend Jørgen Roed, also a Danish artist: Credit – Wikipedia

Danish architect Hermann Baagøe Storck led large-scale restoration work from 1899 to 1910, intending to restore Saint Bendt’s Church to its former Romanesque style. New Romanesque windows were installed in the nave, and a pyramid-shaped spire was added to the tower. The cement, which was put on the red brickwork of the church’s outer walls after the 1806 fire, was removed, revealing the original red brickwork.

Burials

List of burials in St. Bendt’s Church; Credit – Wikipedia

Since Saint Cnut Lavard was buried at St. Bendt’s Church, the Danish kings descended from his son Valdemar I, King of Denmark, were also buried there. From 1182 to 1341, all Danish kings and queens were buried at St. Bendt’s Church. Only Roskilde Cathedral, the main burial site of Danish royalty, has more Danish royal burials.

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.

Works Cited

  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2009). Kirchengebäude in Ringsted Kommune, Dänemark. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St.-Bendts-Kirche_(Ringsted)#K%C3%B6nigsgr%C3%A4ber
  • Behrens, J. (2025). Sct. Bendts Kirke , Ringsted – Sankt Bendts Church Ringsted. Sanktbendtskirke.dk. https://sanktbendtskirke.dk/
  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2006). Bygning i Ringsted. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankt_Bendts_Kirke
  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2003). Dansk Prins og Hertug af Slesvig (1096-1131). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knud_Lavard
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). (Saint) Cnut IV, King of Denmark. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/saint-cnut-iv-king-of-denmark/
  • Guide – St. Bendt’s Church Ringsted. St. Bendt’s Kirke. Retrieved 2025, from https://sanktbendtskirke.dk/publikation-sctbendtskirke-uk.pdf
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). St. Bendt’s Church, Ringsted. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Canute Lavard. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.