Monthly Archives: March 2013

Infante Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona

by Emily McMahon © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Credit – Wikipedia

Infante Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona

Infante Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona, was the father of King Juan Carlos of Spain. He was born on June 2, 1913, at the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso in Segovia, Spain, the third son of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

Juan had six siblings:

Juan (front right), with his mother and siblings, c1917. source: Wikipedia

Following his initial studies in Madrid, he entered the Spanish Naval Academy. His training, however, was interrupted when the Spanish monarchy was overthrown in April 1931, and the Second Spanish Republic was declared. The royal family went into exile, and Juan continued his training with the British Royal Navy. His position within the family would soon change drastically. In 1933, both of his elder brothers renounced their rights of succession, and Juan became heir-apparent to the Spanish throne.

On January 13, 1935, while in Rome for the wedding of his sister, Beatriz, Juan attended a party held by King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy. It was here that he met his future wife, and second cousin, Princess Maria Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. She was the daughter of Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and his second wife, Princess Louise of Orléans. They were soon engaged and married in Rome on October 12, 1935. The couple initially settled in Cannes, before moving on to Rome. With the outbreak of World War II, they moved to Lausanne, Switzerland, and later to Estoril, Portugal.

Juan and Maria Mercedes had four children:

In January 1941, King Alfonso XIII, knowing that his life was coming to an end, formally abdicated in favor of Juan, who became the pretender to the Spanish throne. After Alfonso’s death a month later, Juan began using the title Count of Barcelona, one of the traditional hereditary titles of the Spanish monarch.

However, when Francisco Franco declared the restoration of the monarchy in 1947, he named himself Regent. It would be another 22 years before he named his successor. Feeling that Juan would be too liberal, he instead passed over him and chose Juan’s son, Juan Carlos, as heir to the Spanish throne.

Juan’s son became King of Spain after Franco’s death in 1975. Two years later, Infante Juan renounced his claims to the throne and was formally granted the title Count of Barcelona, which he had been using since his father’s death in 1941.

Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, died of laryngeal cancer in Pamplona, Spain on April 1, 1993. He was buried, with the honors of a King, in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial.

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Fort Belvedere, Windsor Great Park

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2013

source: www.historyworld.co.uk

Fort Belvedere is best known as being the residence of the future King Edward VIII / Duke of Windsor. It was where he signed the Instrument of Abdication. However, there’s much more to the history of the Fort.

Located in Windsor Great Park, adjoining Windsor Castle, Fort Belvedere is part of the Crown Estate. It was built between 1750-1755 for Prince William Augustus, The Duke of Cumberland (son of King George II), and used as a summer house. Later, in 1828, it was enlarged to be used as a hunting lodge. From 1910, it was used as a grace-and-favor residence for Sir Malcolm Murray, the Comptroller to the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, who lived nearby at Bagshot Park.

In 1930, it became the residence of The Prince of Wales (future Edward VIII). Even after becoming King, Edward continued to use Fort Belvedere as his Windsor residence. It was here, in December 1936, that King Edward VIII signed the Instrument of Abdication, in the presence of his three brothers. The following night, after a radio address given from Windsor Castle, the now-former King left the Fort for Austria where he awaited Mrs. Simpson’s divorce to become final.

During World War II, Fort Belvedere was used for offices and then sat empty for some time. In 1956, it was leased to The Hon. Gerald Lascelles, the younger son of Princess Mary, The Princess Royal. Lascelles lived at the Fort until 1976, and the following year the lease was granted to a son of the Emir of Dubai. From the early 1980s until his death in 2021, Fort Belvedere was leased to the Canadian billionaire businessman Galen Weston and his wife Hilary Weston, the former Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario. The Weston family continues to live there. The Weston family are long-time occupants and have been close to the British Royal Family for years.

Wikipedia: Fort Belvedere

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.

Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal

by Emily McMahon, revised by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Credit – Wikipedia

Philippa of Lancaster was born on March 31, 1359, at Leicester Castle in Leicestershire, England. She was the eldest of the seven children of John of Gaunt, a son of King Edward III of England, and his first wife, Blanche of Lancaster.  Philippa’s brother Henry later became King of England as Henry IV. Philippa was raised with her brother and sister Elizabeth, her only siblings to survive childhood.  When Philippa was nine years old, her mother Blanche died at age 23, possibly of the plague or due to childbirth complications.

Philippa’s six siblings:

Philippa had had two half-siblings by her father’s second marriage to Constance of Castile daughter of Pedro I, King of Castile and León:

Philippa also had four half-siblings from her father John of Gaunt’s third marriage to Katherine Swynford, first his mistress and later his wife. The children were legitimized in 1397, and the House of Tudor is descended from their first son John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset

Philippa married King Joáo I of Portugal in the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady in Porto, Portugal on February 2, 1387, sealing the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance which is still in effect. She was a comparatively older bride at 27, as most medieval royal women were married by their late teens. Philippa’s pious, maternal influences were welcomed in a court that had been previously known for its debauchery and corruption.  She is known as the mother of the “Illustrious Generation” (in Portuguese Ínclita Geração) of infantes (princes) and infantas (princesses).

Philippa and Joáo  had nine children:

The wedding of Philippa and John; Credit – Wikipedia

Philippa was a well-educated woman for the time, and her suggestion of conquest of Ceuta eventually helped Portugal dominate the African spice trade.  Philippa and Joáo were about to set sail to attack Ceuta when, Philippa died on July 19, 1415, at the age of 55 of the plague which had also killed her mother.  She was buried at the Monastery of Batalha in  Leiria, Portugal. The monastery was built to thank the Virgin Mary for the Portuguese victory over the Castilians at the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385, fulfilling a promise of King Joáo I of Portugal.  Her husband survived her by 18 years and was laid to rest next to Philippa when he died in 1433. Their four younger sons are also buried at the Monastery of Batalha.

Tomb of King Joáo I of Portugal and his wife Philippa; By Daniel VILLAFRUELA, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37869378

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.

March 30, 2002 – Death of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Embed from Getty Images 

March 30, 2002 – Death of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, wife of George VI, mother of Elizabeth II, at Royal Lodge, Windsor; buried at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle

On Saturday, March 30, 2002, at 3:15 pm, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother died peacefully in her sleep, at her home, Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, at the age of 101. Her daughter Queen Elizabeth II and two of her grandchildren, the children of Princess Margaret, David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon and his sister Lady Sarah Chatto, were with her.

Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was born on August 4, 1900, in London. She was the fourth daughter and the ninth of ten children of Claude Bowes-Lyon, Lord Glamis (who succeeded his father as 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne in 1904), a descendant of King Robert II of Scotland, the first Stewart king, and Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck, a descendant of the Marquess Wellesley (brother of the Duke of Wellington) and the Kings of Ireland. Elizabeth bore the courtesy title of “Honorable” until her father became Earl when she exchanged it for “Lady.”

Lady Elizabeth married the second son of King George V, Prince Albert, Duke of York, on April 26, 1923, at Westminster Abbey, London.  See Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of George VI and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon for detailed information on the wedding.

The couple had two children, Elizabeth (born 1926) who succeeded her father as Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret, who died shortly before her mother (1930-2002).  Upon the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII in 1936, the Duke of York acceded to the throne as King George VI.  During the difficult years of World War II, King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth continually boosted the morale of the British people.  In 1952, King George VI died of lung cancer at the age of 56 and Queen Elizabeth changed her style to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother to avoid confusion with her daughter, now Queen Elizabeth II.

Embed from Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother lay in state in Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster.  At one point, her four grandsons Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, and Viscount Linley exchanged places with the guards as a mark of respect to their grandmother. (See photo above.)  The funeral was held on April 9, 2002, at Westminster Abbey.  The Queen Mother was laid to rest with her husband and the ashes of her younger daughter Princess Margaret in the King George VI Memorial Chapel in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. On September 19, 2022, her elder daughter Queen Elizabeth II was interred in the crypt of the King George VI Memorial Chapel. At the same time, the coffin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who died in 2021, was moved from its temporary place in the Royal Vault beneath St. George’s Chapel and also interred in the crypt of the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

King George VI Memorial Chapel; Credit – The Royal Family Facebook page

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Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Credit: Wikipedia

Prince Leopold was the eighth of the nine children and the fourth and youngest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Born on April 7, 1853 at Buckingham Palace in London, England, Leopold was described as delicate from a very early age.  It soon became apparent that he suffered from the genetic disease hemophilia. He was the first of the nine hemophiliacs among Queen Victoria’s descendants.

The infant prince was christened Leopold George Duncan Albert in the Private Chapel of Buckingham Palace on June 28, 1853, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, John Bird Sumner.  His godparents were:

Prince Leopold photographed by John Jabez Edwin Mayall, 224 Regent Street London, March 1, 1861; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold had eight siblings:

Albert, Victoria and their nine children, 1857. Left to right: Alice, Arthur, Albert, Edward, Leopold, Louise, Victoria with Beatrice, Alfred, Victoria, and Helena; Credit – Wikipedia

Naturally, Leopold’s childhood activities were curtailed due to his hemophilia.  He was perhaps Queen Victoria’s most intellectual child and had the artistic tastes of his father, Prince Albert.  Leopold somehow managed to convince his mother to allow him to spend four years (1872-1876) at Christ Church, Oxford University and he received an honorary doctorate in civil law in 1876.  While at Oxford, Leopold became friendly with Alice Liddell, the daughter of the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford.  Alice was the inspiration for the classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, who in real life was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson and who held the Christ Church Mathematical Lectureship.  There have been rumors of a romance between Leopold and Alice.  Alice did name her first child Leopold and the prince was his godfather.  Leopold’s first child was named Alice, perhaps after Alice Liddell and/or perhaps after his sister Alice who had died several years earlier.

 Prince Leopold in 1873 during the time he was at Christ Church, Oxford

In 1881, Leopold first met his future wife Princess Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont in Darmstadt where Leopold was staying with Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, who was the widower of Leopold’s sister Alice. Helena’s parents were George Victor, Sovereign Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont and Princess Helena of Nassau. Through both of her parents, Helena was a descendant of Anne, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain.

Princess Leopold and Princess Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold saw marriage as a way to become independent from Queen Victoria, his overbearing mother. Besides having hemophilia, Leopold also had mild epilepsy.  Although hemophilia had more serious consequences, it was a disease that was not completely understood at the time, and it was Leopold’s epilepsy that caused him problems while seeking a bride.  Epilepsy was considered a social stigma and many families hid away their epileptic relatives.  After Leopold was rejected by several potential royal brides, Queen Victoria and her eldest daughter Victoria stepped in and made arrangements for Leopold and Helena to meet.  The couple became engaged on November 17, 1881.  Leopold was ecstatic when he wrote of the news to his brother-in-law Ludwig, widower of his sister Alice: “…we became engaged this afternoon…Oh, my dear brother, I am so overjoyed, and you, who have known this happiness, you will be pleased for me, won’t you?…You only know Helena a little as yet – when you really know her, then you will understand why I’m mad with joy today.”

 The wedding of Leopold and Helena

On April 27, 1882, Leopold and Helena were married at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.  Helena was escorted down the aisle by her father George Victor, Sovereign Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont and her brother-in-law King Willem III of the Netherlands.  Her wedding gown of white satin, decorated with traditional orange blossom and myrtle was a gift from her sister Queen Emma of the Netherlands.  Leopold had requested that his friend, the French composer Charles Gounod, compose a wedding march to be played as Helena made her way to the altar.

The couple had two children:

Helena, Duchess of Albany with her two children Alice and Charles Edward in 1887; Credit – http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

Unfortunately, Leopold and Helena’s marriage was short-lived.  In early 1884, Leopold’s doctors recommended that he spend the winter in Cannes, France, which he had done before.  At the time, Helena was expecting her second child.  On March 27, 1884, Leopold slipped and fell on the staircase at Villa Nevada, the private home where he was staying in Cannes.  He injured his knee and hit his head, and died early in the morning of March 28, 1884, apparently of a cerebral hemorrhage, the injuries having been exacerbated by his hemophilia. He was 31 years old. Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany was buried in the Albert Memorial Chapel at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Prince Leopold’s tomb in the Albert Memorial Chapel; Credit – Connie Nisinger, www.findagrave.com

Prince Leopold’s effigy; Credit – Scott Michaels, www.findagrave.com

Four months after Leopold’s death, Helena gave birth to a son, Charles Edward.  Charles Edward became Duke of Albany at birth (his father’s title) and in 1900 succeeded his uncle Alfred as the last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.  During World War I, he was deprived of his British titles due to his taking up arms against his native country.  After World War II, Charles Edward was imprisoned due to his Nazi sympathies and was heavily fined and almost bankrupted.  Charles Edward’s grandson, King Carl XVI Gustaf, currently sits upon the throne of Sweden.  Leopold’s daughter Alice married a brother of Queen Mary, Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, and died in 1981, the last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria.

New York Times: Death of Prince Leopold
Poem – The Death of Prince Leopold by William Topaz McGonagall
Recommended Biography: Prince Leopold: The Untold Story of Queen Victoria’s Youngest Son by Charlotte Zeepvat

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Queen Victoria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Queen Marie of Romania and the Maryhill Museum

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2013

photo credit: Wikipedia

Many of us have never had the opportunity to see some real, honest-to-God royal artifacts. For most, it would require a flight to Europe, and hoping to get tickets to see the limited exhibit at, perhaps, Buckingham Palace or the Royal Palace of Stockholm. But there’s a whole treasure trove of royal stuff right here in the United States!

In 1926, Queen Marie of Romania (along with her son Nicolas and daughter Ileana) came to Washington State to preside at the dedication of The Maryhill Museum, which was being opened by her dear friend Samuel Hill. She brought along 15 crates full of items to donate to the museum, including a large collection of Orthodox icons. Two of her daughters, Queen Elisabeth of Greece and Queen Marie of Yugoslavia, also donated some items. In fact, the museum’s first donation came from Queen Marie of Yugoslavia.

It was after the deaths of Hill and Queen Marie that the museum received the majority of what is now the Queen Marie collection. Another patron, Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, had been acquiring items from Queen Marie that were intended for another museum. Instead, she donated all of these pieces to Maryhill in 1938 after the Queen’s death. Included are Queen Marie’s gold throne, her coronation gown, and a replica of her crown, as well as furniture, silver, and jewelry. All of these now form a permanent exhibit dedicated to Queen Marie.

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.

Maryhill Museum of Art
YouTube video featuring photos of the Queen Marie collection
HistoryLink: Queen Marie of Romania dedicates Maryhill Museum of Art on November 3, 1926

Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, Queen of Prussia

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Credit: Wikipedia

Princess Sophia Dorothea of Hanover was born on March 26, 1687, in Hanover, Principality of Calenberg, now in Lower Saxony, Germany.  At the time of her birth in 1687, her father was styled His Highness Duke Georg Ludwig of Brunswick-Lüneburg and became Elector of Hanover when his father died in 1698. Upon the death of Queen Anne of Great Britain in 1714, he became King George I of Great Britain due to the provisions of the 1701 Act of Settlement.  Sophia Dorothea’s mother was Sophia Dorothea of Celle.

Sophia Dorothea had one sibling, an elder brother:

Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, on the right, with her mother Sophia Dorothea of Celle on the left, and her brother, the future King George II of Great Britain, in the middle

The marriage of Sophia Dorothea’s parents was happy at first, but George and Sophia Dorothea found affection elsewhere. George fell in love with one of his mother’s ladies-in-waiting, Melusine von der Schulenburg.  Sophia Dorothea fell in love with Swedish Count Philip Christoph von Königsmarck, an officer in the Hanoverian army. Despite warnings from her mother and friends, Sophia Dorothea and her lover wrote letters to each other, met secretly, and planned to escape Hanover together. On the morning of July 2, 1694, after a meeting with Sophia Dorothea, von Königsmarck disappeared from Leineschloss Castle and was never seen again. It was widely believed that George ordered von Königsmarck’s death. There is some speculation that the letters were forgeries, and the question of Sophia Dorothea’s guilt is still debated.

On December 28, 1694, a tribunal of judges and Lutheran Church officials declared the marriage of George and Sophia Dorothea dissolved on the grounds of Sophia Dorothea’s desertion. George was not satisfied with punishing his former wife with just a marriage dissolution.  He had his 27-year-old former wife imprisoned in the Castle of Ahlden until she died 32 years later. Sophia Dorothea was never allowed to see her children again.

Sophia Dorothea was eight-years-old when her disgraced mother was divorced and banished for the rest of her life.  She was brought up by her paternal grandmother Sophia, Electress of Hanover at Herrenhausen, the Hanover home.  She married her first cousin Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia, son of Friedrich, King  I of Prussia and Sophia Charlotte of Hanover on November 28, 1706, in Berlin.  The couple had 14 children:

Sophia Dorothea, Queen of Prussia in the center with some of her children during the visit of King Augustus II of Poland to Berlin; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophia Dorothea and Friedrich Wilhelm had met as children as they shared a grandmother, Sophia, Electress of Hanover, and they had disliked each other ever since.  Their interests were very different and Friedrich Wilhelm contemplated divorcing Sophia Dorothea the same year they were married, but nothing ever came of it.  Sophia Dorothea became Queen of Prussia in 1713 when her husband acceded to the Prussian throne.

Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, 1713; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich Wilhelm was faithful, but they did not have a happy relationship. Sophia Dorothea feared his unpredictable temper and resented him, both for allowing her no influence at court and for refusing to marry her children to their English cousins. She detested his cruelty towards their son and heir Friedrich, with whom she was close.  In his own way, Friedrich Wilhelm was devoted to Sophia Dorothea.  Their daughter Wilhelmine wrote that when her father was dying, “he had himself rolled in his chair to the queen’s room. Not having thought the danger was imminent, she was still asleep. ‘Get up,’ the king said to her, ‘I have only a few more hours to live and I wish to have the happiness of dying in your arms.'”  Friedrich Wilhelm died on May 31, 1740, in Berlin.  During World War II, his remains were removed and hidden away, and were later found by American Forces and reburied at St Elisabeth’s Church in Marburg. In 1953, his remains were moved to Hohenzollern Castle where they remained until 1991. At that point, his coffin was finally laid to rest on the steps of the altar at the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum at the Friedenskirche.

Sophia Dorothea survived her husband by 17 years, died at the age of 70 on June 28, 1757, at the Palace of Monbijou near Berlin, and was buried at the Berlin Cathedral.

Tomb of Sophia Dorothea of Hanover; Credit – findagrave.com

Prussia Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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.

The Empress of … Philadelphia?

by Scott Mehl 
© Unofficial Royalty 2013

photo credit Wikipedia

We’ve often talked about King Peter II of Yugoslavia being the only European monarch buried in the United States. After being deposed, he settled in the United States. King Peter died in 1970 and was buried at the Saint Sava Monastery Church in Libertyville, Illinois. Recently, his remains were repatriated to Serbia where they will be reburied at the Serbian Royal Family Mausoleum along with several other members of the Yugoslavian/Serbian royal family.

However… not many people know that there is also an Empress buried in Philadelphia!

Ana María Josefa Ramona de Huarte y Muñiz (1786-1861) was the Empress Consort of the first Mexican Emperor, Agustín de Iturbide. The daughter of Spanish nobility, Ana María married Agustín in 1805. Later, after the Mexican War of Independence, he was proclaimed President, and then the first Emperor of Mexico in 1822. However, his reign was short-lived and he abdicated in March 1823. The family went into exile in Tuscany and then London. In 1824, Agustín was encouraged to return to Mexico, however, he was immediately arrested and executed. Ana María was allowed to leave Mexico and settled in the United States, even receiving an annual pension from the Mexican government for many years.

She initially settled in New Orleans, followed by Baltimore, Washington DC, and then finally in Philadelphia. The former Empress of Mexico died in March 1861 and was buried at the Church of Saint John the Evangelist in Philadelphia.

Who knew?!

Wikipedia: Ana María de Huarte y Muñiz

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.

Mary of Teck, Queen of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Mary of Teck, Queen of the United Kingdom

Her Serene Highness Princess Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes of Teck (known as Mary or May) was born at Kensington Palace, London on May 26, 1867. She was the eldest of the four children and the only daughter of Prince Francis, Duke of Teck, and Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge. Mary was christened at the Private Chapel in Kensington Palace by Charles Thomas Longley, Archbishop of Canterbury on July 27, 1867.  Her godparents were:

The infant Mary with her parents; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Mary’s mother was a male-line granddaughter of King George III and a first cousin of Queen Victoria. Princess Mary Adelaide weighed approximately 250 pounds and was affectionately known as “Fat Mary.” Queen Victoria wrote of her, “Her size is fearful. It is really a misfortune.” Princess Mary Adelaide, however, was high-spirited and full of life, and was adored by the Victorian public who called her “The People’s Princess.”

Mary’s father was His Serene Highness Prince Francis of Teck, the product of a morganatic marriage. Prince Francis’ father, Duke Alexander of Württemberg, was once heir to the throne of Württemberg. However, Duke Alexander contracted a morganatic marriage (marriage to a person of a lower rank) to a Hungarian countess, Claudine Rhedey. Duke Alexander lost his rights to the throne and his children lost the right to use the Württemberg name. Francis’ cousin King Karl of Württemberg eventually elevated him to the more important Germanic title of Duke of Teck.

Mary Adelaide and Francis had a happy marriage but had chronic financial problems due to Mary Adelaide’s extravagance and generosity. Queen Victoria gave them an apartment at Kensington Palace where their four children were born. Mary had three younger brothers:

NPG x96004; Queen Mary with her mother and brothers by Alexander Bassano

Queen Mary with her mother and brothers by Alexander Bassano, half-plate glass negative, circa 1884 NPG x96004 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Mary spent her first sixteen years in London.  The Tecks were always in financial difficulties, and in 1883 fled from their creditors to the European continent where it was cheaper to live. The family lived with various relatives in Europe and eventually settled down in Florence, Italy where Mary acquired an interest in art that would remain with her throughout her life. In 1885, the family returned to London.

Mary was first engaged to Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence (known as Prince Eddy), the oldest son and eldest child of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and Princess Alexandra of Denmark.  Backward and lazy, Eddy had been an apathetic student and received very little education. He was primarily interested in pursuing pleasure which often led him into trouble. His lack of concentration on anything serious caused great concern in his family. Eddy’s family decided that finding a suitable wife might help correct his attitude and behavior.

by Gunn & Stuart, albumen cabinet card, 21 December 1891

Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale; Queen Mary when Princess Victoria Mary of Teck by Gunn & Stuart, albumen cabinet card, 21 December 1891, NPG x29174 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Unbeknownst to her, Mary was considered the most suitable bride for Eddy. Eddy offered no resistance to this suggestion. Mary had been brought up to revere the monarchy and to be proud that she was a member of the British Royal Family. The fact that Mary’s father was a product of a morganatic marriage could have presented difficulties for her in the marriage market. Despite the shortcomings Eddy might have, Mary felt it was her duty to marry him. The engagement was announced on December 6, 1891, and the wedding was set for February 27, 1892.  A month after the engagement announcement, Prince Eddy became ill with influenza. Within a few days, his lungs became inflamed and pneumonia was diagnosed.  He died on January 14, 1892.

After Prince Eddy’s death, Mary and his brother George, the future King George V, now second in the line of succession after his father, spent much time together. As time passed and their common grief eased, there was hope that a marriage might take place between them. George proposed to Mary beside a pond in the garden of his sister Louise’s home, East Sheen Lodge, on April 29, 1893. The engagement was announced on May 3, 1893, with the blessing of George’s grandmother Queen Victoria, and the couple married on July 6, 1893, at the Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace.

Wedding of Mary and George, standing from left to right: Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince George, Victoria of Wales, Maud of Wales; sitting from left to right: Alice of Battenberg, Margaret of Connaught, Mary of Teck; front row: Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Victoria Eugénie of Battenberg and Patricia of Connaught

George and Mary on their wedding day; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

George and Mary had six children:

 

In 1901, after the accession of King Edward VII, George and Mary toured the British Empire, visiting Malta, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. In 1906, they toured India and then traveled to Spain for the wedding of George’s first cousin Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg to King Alfonso XIII of Spain. Soon afterward, George and Mary traveled to Norway for the coronation of King Haakon VII, George’s first cousin, and Queen Maud, George’s sister.

Mary in 1901; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

On May 6, 1910, George’s father King Edward VII died and George became King. His coronation was held at Westminster Abbey on June 22, 1911. See Unofficial Royalty: Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary. In December of 1911, King George V and Queen Mary traveled to India for the Delhi Durbar where they were presented as Emperor and Empress of India.  In 1919, George and Mary’s youngest child 13-year-old Prince John, who had epilepsy, died after a very severe seizure, most likely from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy or SUDEP.

On May 6, 1935, King George V and Queen Mary celebrated their Silver Jubilee. George was an extremely heavy smoker and was already very ill at that time. He died on January 20, 1936, and was succeeded by his eldest son, King Edward VIII.  King Edward VIII abdicated less than a year later and his brother Prince Albert, Duke of York ascended the throne, taking the regnal name George VI. King George VI was followed on the throne by his daughter Queen Elizabeth II.

 

During World War II, King George VI wanted to evacuate his mother from London. Mary was very reluctant, but eventually, she went to live with her niece Mary, Duchess of Beaufort, the daughter of her brother Adolphus, at Badminton House in Gloucestershire.    Mary annoyed her niece by having the ivy torn from the walls of Badminton House because she considered it ugly and a health hazard.  In 1942, Mary’s son Prince George, Duke of Kent was killed in an airplane crash while on active service. See Unofficial Royalty: Tragedy in the British Royal Family at the End of August.

 

In 1952, King George VI died.  Queen Mary had lived long enough to see her granddaughter Elizabeth become queen, but died on March 24, 1953, at age 85 of lung cancer (although her illness was referred to as “gastric problems”) just ten weeks before the coronation. Before her death, Queen Mary had insisted that the coronation go ahead as scheduled. Mary was buried in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle with her husband King George V.

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Tomb of King George V and Queen Mary in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor

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House of Windsor Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Beam Me Up… Abdullah?

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2013

photo: Wikipedia

photo: Wikipedia

Along with various other interests and hobbies, King Abdullah II of Jordan is a huge Star Trek fan. In fact, in 1996 while still Prince Abdullah, he appeared briefly in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager as a science officer. Because he wasn’t a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild, it was only a non-speaking role, but Abdullah made the best of his 5 seconds of screen time!

The Prince so enjoyed his appearance that he invited some of the cast to be his guests in Jordan, and arranged a small convention for other Jordanian fans. In 2011, it was announced that a Star Trek theme park is being built as part of a huge resort complex – the Red Sea Astrarium – being built in Aqaba, Jordan. King Abdullah is a primary investor in the project, estimated to cost $1.5 billion, which opened in 2014.

Who knew?!

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.