The Year 2014: A Right Royal Review

As 2014 draws to a close, The Royal Forums Blog brings you a review of all that has happened in the world of royalty this past year.

Births

January 17: Mia Grace Tindall. Zara Phillips gave birth to her first child with husband Mike Tindall just after the New Year at the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. Mia Grace is sixteenth in line for the British throne, and one of Queen Elizabeth II’s four great-grandchildren.

January 23: Sheikha Latifa bint Mansour. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed Al Maktoum welcomed their fourth child together, a second daughter named Latifa.

January 31: Countess Astrid de Chavagnac. The second daughter of Count Axel de Chavagnac and Duchess Tatjana of Oldenburg was born in Paris.

February 20: Princess Leonore, Duchess of Gotland. Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O’Neill welcomed their first child, a daughter named Leonore Lilian Maria, on February 20 in New York City. She was christened on June 8 at the Royal Chapel of Drottningholm Palace, and is currently fifth in line to the Swedish throne.

February 21: Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma. Princess Irene of the Netherlands became a grandmother for the fifth time in February, when son Jaime and his wife Viktória welcomed their first child, Zita Clara, in Amsterdam.

March 3: Sheikh Khalifa bin Joaan Al-Hamad Al Thani. A fourth child and third son joined the family of Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad and Sheihka Al-Maha bint Salem.

April 30: Princess Katharina of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Hereditary Prince Hubertus and Hereditary Princess Kelly of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha had their first child, a daughter, on April 30. She was named Katharina Victoria Elizabeth Cheryl and was christened in September with five royal and noble godparents.

May 9: Princess Athénaïs de Ligne. The second daughter of Prince Edouard de Ligne and his wife Isabella was given the full name Athénaïs Allegra Isabella.

May 20: Alaïa-Maria Brenninkmeijer. Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Parma and her husband Albert Brenninkmeijer welcomed their first child in Zurch in May, daughter Alaïa-Maria Irene Cécile.

May 27: Louis Windsor. The third son of Lord and Lady Nicholas Windsor was born on May 27 and named Louis Arthur Nicholas Felix. He was baptised a Catholic on November 1 at the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace.

May 28: Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain. A grandson was born to the Crown Prince of Bahrain when his eldest son, Isa, welcomed his first child with wife Sheikha Jawaher.

June 15: Princess Amalia of Nassau. The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg received their first granddaughter this year, when their daughter-in-law Claire, wife of Prince Félix, gave birth to a baby girl in Luxembourg City. The infant was named Amalia Gabriela Maria Teresa, and was christened on July 12. She is presently third in line to the throne of Luxembourg.

July 5: Princess Noor bint Hamzah. Jordan’s Prince Hamzah and Princess Basma welcomed their second child together, a daughter named Noor, on July 5. Noor is named after her paternal grandmother, Queen Noor of Jordan.

July 11: Désirée Magnuson. Gustav Magnuson, son of Princess Christina of Sweden, and his wife Vicky welcomed their first child, daughter Désirée Elfrida Christina, in Stockholm.

July 12: Princess Halaevalu Mata’aho of Tonga. Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala and Crown Princess Sinaitakala Fakafanua had their second child, a daughter, in the morning of July 12 in Auckland.

July 30: Princess Louise-Marguerite of Orléans. The Duke and Duchess of Vendôme added a second daughter to their brood when Louise-Marguerite Eléonore Marie was born in Poissy. She was christened in early September.

October 1: Princess Salsabeel bint Mohammed. The King of Jordan’s first cousin, Prince Ghazi, welcomed his fourth child with wife Princess Areej Ghazi in Amman.

October 7: Omar Mirza. A second grandchild for Queen Noor of Jordan was born in 2014, when her daughter Iman gave birth to her first child, a son called Omar.

December 10: Princess Gabriella and Hereditary Prince Jacques of Monaco. The long-awaited heirs of Monaco were born to Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene on December 10 at the Maternity Centre of the Princess Grace Hospital. Named Gabriella Thérèse Marie and Jacques Honoré Rainier, they are the couple’s first children and are first and second in line for the throne.

December 16: Count Louis-Bernhard zu Stolberg-Stolberg. Count Alexander zu Stolberg-Stolberg and his wife, Princess Isabel of Orléans-Braganza, welcomed Louis-Bernhard Josef Maximilian Diniz Rafael Nuno Karl Baudouin Maria, their first child.

Deaths

January 2: Countess Anne-Dorte of Rosenborg. Count Christian of Rosenborg’s widow passed away in a Gentofte hospital at the age of 66. She had long suffered from throat cancer.

January 15: Princess Maria Margarita of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Princess Maria Margarita, daughter of Prince Gabriel of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, passed away in Madrid aged 79. Her funeral was attended by Queen Sofia, the Prince of Asturias and Infanta Elena.

March 13: María de la Concepción, Dowager Countess of Ripalda. The former mother-in-law of Infanta Elena passed away following a stroke in March, two months after her 85th birthday.

March 20: Archduke Heinrich of Austria. A nephew of the late Emperor Karl I of Austria, Heinrich passed away in March aged 89. He was survived by his wife, children and grandchildren.

April 3: Prince Michael of Prussia. The Prince, who renounced his rights to the defunct German throne in 1966, passed away aged 74. He was godfather to his nephew, the current Head of the House of Prussia, Prince Georg Friedrich.

April 9: Princess Fevziye Osmanoğlu. A member of the Ottoman Dynasty, the Princess died in Paris at the age of 86.

April 13: Prince Friedrich zu Schwarzenberg. The brother of the present Fürst zu Schwarzenberg died aged 73, he was survived by his wife, children and other members of the family.

June 8: Prince Katsura of Japan. Aged 68, Prince Katsura died of a heart attack at the University of Tokyo Hospital. The Emperor’s first cousin was buried at the  Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery.

August 10: Princess Lalla Fatima Zohra of Morocco. King Mohammed VI’s aunt Fatima died at the age of 85. She was survived by her husband and their three children.

August 28: Fürstin Melinda Esterházy de Galántha. The widow and heir of Fürst Paul V Esterházy de Galántha passed away in Eisenstadt at the age of 94. After her husband’s death, she created a number of foundations to preserve the heritage of the House of Esterházy.

September 2: Princess Yolande of Bourbon-Parma. The ex-wife of Prince Michel of Bourbon-Parma, who was born a Princess de Broglie-Revel, died at 86.

September 15: Prince Nicholas Romanovich. One of two claimants to the defunct Russian throne, a great-great-grandson of Tsar Nicholas I, passed away at 91, leaving the claim to his brother Dimitri.

September 20: Anton Günther, Duke of Oldenburg. The Head of the House of Oldenburg passed away aged 91 in Harmsdorf. He was succeeded as Head of the House by his son, Christian.

October 5: Prince David Chavchavadze. Son of Prince Paul Chavchavadze and Princess Nina of Russia, David passed away in Washington, D.C. at the age of 90 following a long illness.

October 26: Princess Amelie of Fürstenberg. The elder sister of the Head of the House of Fürstenberg passed away at the age of 66 in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany.

October 30: Fürst Johann Friedrich zu Castell-Rüdenhausen. The Head of the zu Castell-Rüdenhausen family died aged 66 in Friedrichsberg. He had suffered from cancer for a number of years. His son Otto succeed him to the Headship of the House.

November 4: Princess Kristine Bernadotte. Prince Carl Bernadotte’s third wife Kristine passed away suddenly in Spain in early November. Following a funeral in Stockholm, the Princess was buried beside her husband at the royal cemetery at Haga.

November 20: Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba. The flamboyant Duchess of Alba passed away from ill health at the age of 88 in mid-November. Cayetana was the most titled woman in the world, and her funeral was held at the Seville Cathedral.

December 5: Queen Fabiola of Belgium. Belgium’s fifth Queen passed away aged 86 at Stuyvenberg Castle. Fabiola had married King Baudouin in 1960, and was Queen for 33 years until his death in 1993. Her funeral took place on December 12, and she was laid to rest at the royal crypt at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken.

Marriages

February 1: Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana Santo Domingo. The religious wedding ceremony of Princess Caroline’s elder son took place at the Rougemont Church in Gstaad, Switzerland. The bride wore Valentino for the lavish affair, which followed a civil ceremony in August 2013.

May 23: Princess Ayah bint Feisal bin Al Hussein and Mohamad Halawani. A Jordanian Royal Wedding was in order in May, when Princess Ayah married Mohamad Halawani at the Zahran Palace.

June 15/November 14: Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco and Oum Kalthum Boufarès. The King of Morocco’s younger brother was married to Oum Kalthum Boufarès in ceremonies which took place in June and November in Marrakech.

July 5: Prince Amedeo of Belgium and Elisabetta von Rosboch von Wolkenstein. The eldest grandchild of King Albert II of Belgium was married to an Italian at the Santa Maria Trastevere Basilica in Rome. The bride was leant a diamond tiara from Queen Paola for the day.

August 16: Princess Amélia of Orléans-Braganza and James Spearman. In Rio de Janiero, Princess Amélia and Scotsman James Spearman were wed at the Church of Nossa Senhora do Monte do Carmo da Antige Sé in front of a number of European royals and nobles.

September 13: Princess Maria Theresia of Thurn und Taxis and Hugo Wilson. At St Joseph’s Church in Tutzing, the eldest daughter of Princess Gloria of Thurn und Taxis married her British love ahead of a reception at Schloss Garatshausen.

Other Important Events

Abdications: The King of Spain announced his abdication on June 2, with the change over to his son, Prince Felipe, taking place on June 19.

Engagements: Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and Sofia Hellqvist were officially engaged on June 27.

New Pregnancies: The Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Tatiana Santo Domingo, Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Hereditary Princess Jeanette zu Fürstenberg are all expecting in 2015.

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