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Astrid of Sweden, Queen of the Belgians; Credit – Wikipedia

August 29, 1298 – Death of Eleanor of England, Countess of Bar, daughter of King Edward I of England, wife of Henri III, Count of Bar, in Ghent, County of Flanders, now in Belgium; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Eleanor married Henri III, Count of Bar. The Duchy of Bar was a sovereign state located in what is now northeast France. An alliance with Henri against King Philippe IV of France could provide a significant military advantage. Eleanor and Henri had one son and one daughter. Eleanor and Henri’s marriage lasted a little less than five years. On August 29, 1298, 29-year-old Eleanor died in Ghent, County of Flanders, now in Belgium, of unknown causes. Possibly, she died in childbirth (along with the baby), which at the end of the 13th century was a frequent cause of premature death of women.
Unofficial Royalty: Eleanor of England, Countess of Bar

August 29, 1763 – Death of Karl August, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in Hesse, Germany; buried at the Stadt-Kirche Bad Wildungen in Bad Wildungen, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse
In 1728, upon the death of his elder brother, Karl August then became the reigning Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Karl August had been left a great deal of debt due to his father’s ambitious building projects and he tried to limit the debt burden in his small country. However, he and his wife had the Residenzschloss Arolsen redesigned and expanded in the Rococo style. Karl August issued letters of protection to Jewish families provided they could prove that they had assets of at least 1,000 thalers, thereby allowing the immigration of Jewish residents into the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl August, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont

August 29, 1790 – Birth of Leopold I, Grand Duke of Baden, in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
As his parents’ marriage was morganatic, Leopold and his siblings were not titled as Prince/Princess of Baden, nor were they initially in the line of succession. They were styled as Baron/Baroness of Hochberg, and later as Count/Countess of Hochberg. Leopold’s father had always intended that his younger children would be eligible for succession if there were no heirs left from his elder sons. In 1817,  the Hochberg children were raised to Prince and Margrave of Baden and formally given succession rights by the government the following year. Leopold became Grand Duke of Baden in 1830, upon the death of his unmarried brother.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold I, Grand Duke of Baden

August 29, 1923 – Death of Nancy Stewart Worthington Leeds, Princess Anastasia of Greece and Denmark, first wife of Prince Christopher of Greece, at Spencer House in London, England; buried in the Leeds mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York
Nancy had married two wealthy men who both died, leaving her a very wealthy widow. While visiting Biarritz, France in 1914 Nancy met Prince Christopher, the youngest child of King George I of Greece. The two quickly fell in love and decided to marry. Their engagement was first announced in 1914, but it would be six years before they actually married. There was much reservation within the Greek royal family over the bride being an American and already married twice. Finally, the couple was married on February 1, 1920, and several days after the marriage, Nancy converted to Greek Orthodoxy and took the name Anastasia. Not long after her marriage, Anastasia was diagnosed with the cancer that caused her death.
Unofficial Royalty: Nancy Stewart Worthington Leeds, Princess Anastasia of Greece and Denmark

August 29, 1935 – Death of Queen Astrid of the Belgians, born Astrid of Sweden, wife of King Leopold III of the Belgians, in a car accident near their villa at Küssnacht am Rigi in Schwyz, Switzerland; buried at the Church of Our Lady in Brussels, Laeken, Belgium
In August 1935, Leopold, Astrid, and their children were on holiday in Switzerland. On August 29, 1935, having sent the children ahead, Leopold and Astrid decided to take one last outing before returning to Belgium. On a drive in the mountains near Lake Lucerne, with King Leopold at the wheel, and Astrid beside him, the king was distracted by something Astrid pointed out to him and lost control of the car. The convertible went off the road and down a steep slope, crashing into a tree. Both of them were thrown from the car, but Leopold was not seriously injured. Astrid, who was pregnant, was thrown into another tree and died from her injuries. She was just 29 years old. Later, a chapel and memorial were built in her honor in Küssnacht am Rigi, at the scene of the accident. Astrid was the mother of two Belgian kings, Baudouin and Albert II, and Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg.
Unofficial Royalty: Astrid of Sweden, Queen of the Belgians

August 29, 1966 – Death of Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, wife of King Manuel II of Portugal, in Münchhöf, Baden, Germany; buried at Langenstein Castle in Baden, Germany
In 1912, Augusta Viktoria met the former King Manuel II of Portugal while both were visiting Switzerland. Manuel had become King in 1908 following the assassinations of his father and elder brother but was deposed two years later when the Portuguese First Republic was declared. The couple married in 1913 and lived at Fulwell Park, Manuel’s home outside of London, England. Augusta Viktoria and Manuel had no children. Manuel died in 1932, and in 1939, Augusta Viktoria married Count Robert Douglas, head of the Swedish comital house of Douglas, a branch of the Scottish Clan Douglas. The couple lived at Langenstein Castle in Orsingen-Nenzingen Baden, Germany, and had no children.
Unofficial Royalty: Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen

August 29, 1968 – Wedding of King Harald V of Norway and Sonja Haraldsen at Olso Cathedral in Oslo, Norway
In June 1959, Crown Prince Harald attended a party hosted by a friend, Johan Stenersen. It was at this party that he met another friend of Johan Stenersen, Sonja Haraldsen. The relationship between the Crown Prince and Sonja was controversial as many people including politicians and journalists, felt the Crown Prince should marry a princess and not a Norwegian commoner. The controversy continued for years as did the relationship despite the media’s attempts to promote a royal marriage with either of the Greek princesses Sophia and Irene. Apparently, Crown Prince Harald made it clear to his father, King Olav V, that he would remain unmarried if he could not marry Sonja. This would have resulted in a succession crisis as Harald was the sole heir to the throne. At that time, Norway did not allow female succession, so his two sisters Ragnhild and Astrid were not in the line of succession. Finally, in 1968, when King Olav felt the position of the Norwegian people had changed to favor Sonja, he consulted with parliamentary leaders and other government leaders and gave his consent for the Crown Prince to marry a commoner.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Harald V of Norway and Sonja Haraldsen

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