The wedding of Viscount Althorp and the Hon. Frances Roche.

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 On this day - June 1, 1954 --Edward John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, only son of the 7th Earl Spencer and Lady Cynthia Hamilton married Hon Frances Roche, daughter of the 4th Baron Fermoy and Ruth Gill at Westminster Abbey.  The bride was only 18 when she married.

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 The bride and groom had close ties to the British court.  The new Viscountess Althorp was born at Park House, Sandringham on the day King George V died.  Her father, Lord Fermoy, was a close friend of George VI, and her mother, Ruth, Lady Fermoy (styled after the death of Lord Fermoy), was one of the Queen Mother's best friends.  She also served as Woman of the Bedchamber.

Lord Althorp's godparents included Queen Mary and the Prince of Wales (Edward VIII). He served as an equerry to George VI and Elizabeth II.   The Countess Spencer served 35 years as one of Queen Elizabeth's (Consort of George VI) ladies-in-waiting.

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 The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh attended the wedding at Westminister with the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, the Duchess of Gloucester, the Duchess of Kent with the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra of Kent, and the Earl of Athlone.

Miss Roche was given away by her father.  She wore a "gown of camellia-coloured faille embroidered on the tight-fitting bodice and full skirt with hand-cut diamonds, sequins and rhinestones, and a tulle veil which formed a short train and was held in place by a diamond tiara."    She carried a "bouquet of lilies-of-the-valley, white roses, and stephanotis."

Frances' tiara is known as the Fermoy tiara, and

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 The bride had three pages, David Wake-Walker (the groom's nephew), Viscount Raynham, and James Dawnay, all of whom wore "white satin suits buttoned down the front and stiff muslin collars and pale blue moiré sashes, after a painting by Reynolds.   

She also had three child bridesmaids: Elizabeth Wake-Walker (niece of the bridegroom), Lady Margot Cholmondelely, Bridget Astor, and three adult bridesmaids, the Hon. Mary Roche (the bride's sister), Miss Sylvia Fogg-Elliot, Miss Fiona Douglas-Home and Miss Rowena Combe. 

The adult bridesmaids wore "long dresses of white spotted Swiss muslin with a fichu neckline and full skirts and pale blue moiré sashes."  Their headdresses and bouquets were of "lilies-of-the valley, white roses, and stephanotis."

Captain John Dawes, The Royal Scots Greys, was Lord Althorp's best man.

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 Members of the Royal Scots Greys regiment formed a guard of honor when the newly married Lord and Lady Althorp left Westminster Abbey.

The wedding reception was held at St. James's Palace.

Lady Margot Cholmondeley is the older sister of David, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley.  She married Tony Huston, the son of director John Huston, and brother of Angelica Huston.

The Hon. Bridget Astor was the daughter of the 4th Baron Astor of Hever.  Her first husband was Count Arthur Tarnowski. 

Sylvia Fogg-Elliot was Lady Althorp's maternal first cousin.  In 1959, she married Richard Allen.

Rowena Combe married in 1963 to Jocelyn Feilding, an art dealer.   Lady Althorp's daughter, Jane was one of the child bridesmaids.  Her mother was Lady Silvia Coke, daughter of the 4th Earl of Leicester.  This marriage ended in divorce in 1983. Rowena and Lady Anne Coke (the widow of Lord Glenconner) were first cousins. Lord Althorp was previously engaged to Lady Anne. His father forced his son to end the engagement because of “mad blood” in Lady Anne’s family. Her paternal grandmother was Marion  Trefusis whose family had s genetic defect where sons died young and daughters were born with mental disabilities. Marion’s first cousin Charles, 21st Baron Clinton had two daughters, Fenella and Harriet who passed the gene to their children.  Fenella, married to the Hon John Bowes-Lyon, brother of Queen Elizabeth, was the mother of two mentally disabled .daughters. Harriet, the wife of Henry Fane, had three mentally disabled daughters.  It was the five girls’s grandfather, Lord Clinton who paid for their institutionalization.

Viscount Raynham (Charles) succeeded his father as the 8th Marquess of Townshend in 2010.

(Charles) James Payan Dawnay is the son of Captain Oliver Dawnay and Lady Margaret Boyle, daughter of the 8th Earl of Glasgow. In 1978, James married Sarah Stogdon.  Captain Dawney was the Queen Mother's Private Secretary and Equerry to Queen Elizabeth (Queen Mother) from 1952 until 1956.   He was an Extra Equerry from 1956 until 1962.    

[James Dawnay's brother, Ivo, is married to Rachel Johnson, younger sister of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson).

Elizabeth and David Wake-Walker were the children of Lord Althorp's sister, Lady Anne Spencer who married Christopher Baldwin Hughes Wake-Walker in February 1944.  Christopher was the son of Admiral Sir Frederic Wake-Walker.    Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret attended the wedding at Westminster Abbey and the reception at Admiralty House.   In 1960, David Wake-Walker was named a Page of Honour to Queen Elizabeth II

Lord and Lady Althorp had four children,  Sarah,  Jane, Diana and Charles.  Their marriage ended in divorce in 1969.  Lord Althorp succeeded his father in 1975 as the 8th Earl Spencer.  

His youngest daughter, Lady Diana Spencer was the first wife of the future King Charles III. They are the parents of the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex.

I expect my mom, thirteen days away from giving birth to me, read about the wedding of Lord and Lady Althorp's wedding in the New York Times.  She was interested in the British and other European royal families and wanted to watch the Coronation on her honeymoon -- confirmed by Dad.  Now you know why I am the way I am ....

King Ferdinand of Bulgaria's remains now in Bulgaria

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King Ferdinand of Bulgaria's coffin was placed in the Bulgarian Royal Family's crypt in Varna, Bulgaria on May 30.  The previous day, the late king's remains were flown by a military plane from Coburg, Germany, to Sofia, Bulgaria on May 29.   Arriving in Sofia, the coffin was placed in a hearse and driven to the Royal Palace in Varna.

The late king's coffin was on display in the palace's Great Hall, where his family, including his grandson, King Simeon,  government officials, and the public attended the service.  Joining King Simeon and Queen Margherita were two of his sons, Prince Kyril and  Prince Konstantin-Assen, and his wife, Maria, and his daughter, Princess Kalina,  her husband Kitin Muñoz, and their son Simeon Hassan Muñoz.

Neither Bulgaria's acting Prime Minister Glavchev nor President Radev attended the funeral ceremony.

It took about six months to finalize the arrangements.

King Ferdinand was born HH Prince Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha on February 26, 1861, the fifth and youngest child of Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Clementine of Orléans.   In 1887, he was elected Prince of Bulgaria.    He proclaimed Bulgaria a kingdom on October 5, 1908, and assumed the title of Tsar, although, in English, he and his successors have been styled as King.

Ferdinand abdicated on October 3, 1918, in favor of his elder son, Boris, who succeeded as King Boris III.   He settled into exile in Coburg.  The former king said of his abdication and exile: "Kings in exile are more philosophic under reverses than ordinary individuals; but our philosophy is primarily the result of tradition and breeding, and do not forget that pride is an important item in the making of a monarch. We are disciplined from the day of our birth and taught the avoidance of all outward signs of emotion. The skeleton sits forever with us at the feast. It may mean murder, it may mean abdication, but it serves always to remind us of the unexpected. Therefore we are prepared and nothing comes in the nature of a catastrophe. The main thing in life is to support any condition of bodily or spiritual exile with dignity. If one sups with sorrow, one need not invite the world to see you eat."

In Coburg. Ferdinand could only watch from a distance as his beloved Bulgaria would soon be a Soviet vessel.  In August 1943, following a meeting with Adolf Hitler in Germany,  King Boris died in mysterious circumstances.  He was succeeded by his six-year-old son, Simeon.   Soviet troops moved into Bulgaria in September 1944.   His younger son, Prince Kyril was executed on February 1, 1945, with the two other regents for the young King Simeon, other government officials, and 67 members of the Bulgarian Parliament.  They had been sentenced to death by a People's Court.

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"Everything is collapsing around me, Ferdinand said after he was told of Kyril's death.    A referendum on September 15, 1946, ended Bulgaria's monarchy.  The following day, Simeon, his mother, Queen Giovanna, and his older sister, Princess Marie Louise, went into exile.

King Ferdinand died in Coburg on September 10, 1948, at 87. His "mortal remains were kept in a coffin" next to his parents, Prince August and Princess Clementine's sarcophagi in Saint August's Church.  It was said his last wish was to be buried in Bulgaria.

The king was married twice.  He had four children,  King Boris III, Prince Kyril, Princess Eudoxia, and Princess Nadezhda by his first wife, Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma, who died giving birth to their youngest child.  The King did not have children by his second wife, Princess Eleonore Reuss zu Köstritz. 

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One Bulgarian historian said of Ferdinand's return: "This signifies, even if belatedly, a responsibility toward history."

King Simeon spoke to the press at Vrana Palace:  "I see this gesture of returning King Ferdinand to Bulgaria as something that points to another view and another reading of history.

"First of all, I am grateful for all this, because this is for our history of Bulgaria. It also shows that we respect our past like other nations and recognize and respect the merits of our rulers."

https://www.dnevnik.bg/

Read more about King Ferdinand

https://amzn.to/3KoApgH  US

https://amzn.to/3yIZj8q   UK

Royals out in force for two memorial services

 The memorial services for Sir (John) Chippendale (Chips) Keswick and Donald Cameron of Lochliel took place in London on May 30.

The King and Queen attended Sir Chip's service at St. Paul's, Knightsbridge. Sir Chips died on April 17, 2024, at 84.  He was a merchant banker, a former chairman of Hambros Bank, and a Director of the Bank of England.  He also served as  Chairman of the Arsenal Football Club.   

The Princess Royal was represented at the service by the Earl of Dalhousie and Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy, was represented by Mrs. Diane Dukes. 

His widow, Lady Sarah, daughter of the 16th Earl of Dalhousie, is one of Queen Camilla's Lady Companions.   Lady Sarah and her late husband were second cousins, great-grandchildren of Simon Fraser, 13th Lord Lovat, and Alice Maria Weld-Blundell.    Sir Chips was the grandson of Lord Lovat's daughter Hon. Ethelreda Fraser and Sir Francis Oswald Lindley and Lady Sarah is the granddaughter of Ethelreda's sister, Hon. Margaret Fraser and Brigadier General Archibald Stirling.    

Lady Sarah and their three sons survive him.

all photos @Ken Stone

Leonora, Countess of Lichfield

Lady Susan Keswick

Brigadier General Andrew Parker Bowles

The Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent and Lord Nicholas Windsor attended David  Cameron of Lochiel’s memorial service, held at St. Columba's Church of Scotland in London.

David Cameron of Lochiel was the Chief of Clan Cameron.  He was 77 years old when he died on October 23, 2023.   Lochielwas a "trusted friend of the Royal Family."   He began his career as a lending banker, but "found his niche as Schroders’ head of personnel in London, responsible for graduate recruitment and mentoring."  In the 1980s, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. 

On June 1, 1974, he married Lady Cecil Kerr, daughter of the 12th Marquess of Lothian.  Their wedding was held in Edinburgh at the Cathedral of St. Mary the Virgin.  The Prince of Wales (Charles III), Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, and Prince Michael of Kent were guests at the wedding.  The Duke and Duchess of Kent's younger son, Lord Nicholas Windsor was one of the pages.

David Cameron of Lochiel is survived by his widow, three daughters, and one son. 

Lord Nicholas Windsor  @Ken Stone - all photos 

Thanks to Ken Stone who was able to photograph both events.   Impressed!!!

Grand Duke Henri has dinner at Windsor Castle

 

@Buckingham Palace

'On Monday, May 27, 2024.  HRH The Grand Duke of Luxembourg had dinner with HM King Charles III at Windsor Castle.  The Grand Duke was in England for a brief visit.

Summer reading anyone? Books for sale

 All the books for sale are good reads -- great for planes, trains, cruise ships, by the pool, watching TV, reading in bed!

Paperbacks are $10 each.  Hardcovers are $15.00.   The cost includes media mail postage.  U.S. resident only.  The link for payment is at the bottom.  Please don't forget to include the book titles(s) you want and your name and address.  Many thanks. 

    Paperbacks

                                                                        Hardcovers

                                                    

Prince Stanislaus of Bavaria marries

 

all three photos @Haus Bayern

HRH Prince Stanislaus Maria Hermann Theodor Philipp of Bavaria and Isabella Sophia Hampel were married on May 25, 2024, at the Benediktiner-Kloster, Stift St.-Peter in Salzburg, Austria.  The couple's civil marriage took place in Salzburg in January 2023.  

Prince Stanislaus is the second of four children of HRH Prince Christoph Ludwig Maria of Bavaria and Countess Gudila von Plettenberg.  He was born on May 24, 1997 in Starnberg.   

The prince studied Landscape engineering at Osnabruck University of Applied Sciences and then attended the Municipal Vocational School for Manufacturing Technology, where he trained as an industrial mechanic.  He is now a work and production planner with Rail Power Systems GmbH.

 Princess Gudila lent Isabella the von Plettenberg bridal veil made of Brussels lace.   The bride arrived in a car owned by her grandfather Wolfgang Solar.

The Duke of Bavaria and his partner Thomas Greinwald and Prince Ludwig and Princess Sophie-Alexandra of Bavaria were among the guests at the wedding.  

Princess Isabella was born in Vienna, Austria, on April 2, 1998.  She is the daughter of Walter Hampel and Christine Solar, whose parents are noted Austrian chemists,  Wolfgang and Sonja Solar.  She has a Master's in Corporate Communications and is currently employed as a Technology Transformation Consultant at EY in Munich.  Her undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Science in International Management for Service Industries from the University of Europe for Applied Sciences.  She spent a semester abroad at the University of California Santa Barbara in an Economics Immersion program,.

The couple chose to marry at the Benedictine Abbey to honor Prince Stanislaus' paternal uncle, Father Florian (1957-2022), a member of the Order of St. Benedict.  Father Florian was born HRH Prince  Franz-Josef Michael Maria Ignatius of Bavaria.   Florian and Stanislaus's father 

The wedding of the Hereditary Count and Countess of Fugger von Babenhausen

 

The religious wedding of H Ill H the Hereditary Count of Fugger von Babenhausen and Gabriella Stoudemire was celebrated on May 18, 2024, at St Moritz Church in Augsburg.   They were married in a civil ceremony at Babenhausen on May 21, 2022.  The civil marriage is the legal wedding in Germany and other European countries.  They are the parents of a son, Count Otto,  born in May 2023.

The Hereditary Countess is American.

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2021/12/a-princely-engagement-fugger-von.html#google_vignette

The Prince and Princess of Fugger von Babenhausen

Countess Franziska Fugger von Babenhausen and her partner, 

                                                Mauro Bergonzoli 

The Duke of Bavaria and his partner, Thomas Greinwald

Princess Sophie-Alexandra and Prince Ludwig of Bavaria

The groom is in the middle with his brothers, Count Leopold and Count Nikolaus

Count Ignaz von Toerring-Jettenbach

Prince and Princess Napoleon

The Prince and Princess of Oettingen-Spielberg

The Hereditary Count and Countess with their young son, Count Otto.

Princess Mafalda of Hesse and Rolf Sachs

Princess Sophie-Alexandra and Prince Ludwig of Bavaria 

Rolf Sachs

Princess Claudia, Prince Josef-Emanuel and Princess Anunciata of Liechtenstein

Princess Claudia and Prince Josef Emanuel

Prince Casimir of Sayn-Wiittgenstein-Sayn

Count and Countess Caetjan von Toerring-Jettenbach

One of the Waldburg-Zeil daughters of the Prince and Princess of Waldburg-Zeil

The photos were taken by a friend, who has allowed me to publish the photos on Royal Musings.  Thank you very much!!!!  The photographer is the copyright holder.