Archduke Otto of Austria, Royal Prince of Hungary and Bohemia, former Head of the Austrian Imperial Family from 1922 until his abdication in 2007, turns 97 years old today.

He was born on 20 November 1912 at Villa Wartholtz in Reichenau, the eldest child of Archduke Karl and Archduchess Zita.

Archduke Otto - see bigger at his official website

Archduke Karl (1887-1922) was the eldest son of Archduke Otto (1865-1906, nephew of Emperor Franz Josef) and Archduchess Maria Josepha (1867-1944, daughter of Georg I of Saxony); Archduchess Zita (1892-1989) was a daughter of Duke Roberto I of Parma (1848-1907, the last reigning Duke) and Duchess Maria Antonia (1862-1959, youngest daughter of King Miguel I of Portugal).

Several tragic and premature deaths made Otto the third in the Line of Succession to the Throne, after his great-uncle Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este ( whose morganatic marriage meant that his children were not in the Line of Succession) and his father Karl.

On 28 June 1914 Franz Ferdinand and his wife were killed in Sarajevo: this murder was the casus belli of the breaking out of the World War I. Two years later on 21 November 1916 Emperor Franz Josef died, after 68 years of reign; therefore Karl became Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary and Bohemia, and Otto the new Crown Prince. Read more…

MAfan Austrian Royals Archduke Otto, Biography, Birthday, Habsburg

View the image at King Hussein's official website

Today, Jordan marks the 74th anniversary of the birth of the late King Hussein. King Hussein bin Talal was born on November 14, 1935 at the Al-Qasr Al-Sagheer Palace in Amman to Prince Talal bin Abdullah and Princess Zein Al-Sharaf bint Jamil. After completing his elementary education in Amman, King Hussein attended Victoria College in Alexandria (Egypt),and Harrow School and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, both in England.

When he was 15 years old, he witnessed the murder of his grandfather, King Abdullah I, at Al Aqsa Mosque in al-Quds (Jerusalem) after Friday prayers.

Prince Talal, King Abdullah´s eldest son, assumed the Throne on September 6, 1951; but only eleven months later, he was declared unfit to rule by parliament because of mental illness. King Talal abdicated in favour of his eldest son, Hussein. On August 11, 1952, Hussein was proclaimed King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. He was only sixteen years old at the time. A Regency Council was appointed until King Hussein’s formal accession to the Throne on May 2, 1953, when he assumed his constitutional powers after reaching the age of eighteen, according to the Islamic calendar. Read more…

salma Jordanian Royals Anniversary, Biography, Birthday, King Hussein

Two Royal Nonagenarians – Count Carl Johan Bernadotte of Wisborg and Emmanuelle de Dampierre, Duchess of Segovia, celebrated their respective 93rd and 96th birthdays recently.

Count Carl Johan Bernadotte was born as Prince Carl Johan Arthur of Sweden, Duke of Dalarna was born on October 31, 1916 as the fifth and youngest child of Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf (later King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden) and Crown Princess Margaret of Connaught.

courtesy of thepeerage.com

He had 3 older brothers – Gustav Adolf (born 1906), Sigvard (born 1907) and Bertil (born 1912), and a sister – Ingrid (born 1910). In 1920, when Carl Johan was only 3 years old, Crown Princess Margaret died of an infection following surgery; she was 8 months pregnant with her sixth child.

In 1946, Prince Carl Johan married Elin Wijkmark. Upon the marriage, Carl Johan lost his succession rights and renounced all titles as his wife was not of equal rank, thus making the marriage morganatic. Carl Johan and Elin didn’t have any biological issue but they adopted two children:

Monica Kristina Margaretha Bernadotte (born March 5, 1951). She was adopted in 1951. Monica married Johan Peder Grefve Bonde af Björnö in 1976: they have 3 children – Ebba Kristina (born October 20, 1980), Marianne Cecilia (born September 29, 1982) and Carl Johan (born April 14, 1984). Monica and Johan Peder divorced in 1997.

Christian Carl Henning Bernadotte (born December 3, 1949). He was adopted in 1950. Christian married Marianne Jenny in 1980: they have 3 children – Christina Margaretha (born May 28, 1983), Richard Carl (born June 8, 1985) and Philip Carl (born May 18, 1988).

In 1951, Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg created Carl Johan Count of Wisborg. Following the death of Elin in 1987, Count Carl Johan married Countess Gunnilla Marianne Lindberg Wachtmeister af Johannishus on September 29, 1988.

Count Carl Johan is Queen Victoria’s last surviving great-grandchild. Should he live until June 29, 2011, he will surpass his elder brother Sigvard as the longest lived of Queen Victoria’s male descendants.

Victoire Jeanne Joséphine Emmanuelle (Emanuela) de Dampierre was born on November 8, 1913 to Don Roger de Dampierre, 2nd Duke of San Lorenzo, Viscount of Dampierre, Nobleman of Viterbo and Donna Vittoria Ruspoli (daughter of Emanuele Ruspoli, 1st Prince of Poggio Suasa and Mary Curtiss).

Read more…

Marsel French Royals, Spanish Royals, Swedish Royals Biography, Birthday, Count Carl Johan Bernadotte, Emanuela de Dampierre

HRH Princess Margarete of Bourbon-Parma turns 100 years old today.

Princess Margarete von Thurn und Taxis was born on 8 November 1909 at the Chateau de Beloeil, in Belgium, the family seat of the Princes of Ligne; her parents were Prince Alexander Karl von Thurn und Taxis (1881-1937) and his first wife Princess Marie, née Princess of Ligne (1885-1971), herself the daughter of Prince Louis de Ligne and Princess Elisabeth, née de la Rochefoucauld.

Princess Margarete - courtesy of roglo.eu

Margarete was the last of three children, and the only daughter; her eldest brother Raimondo married in 1949 Princess Evgenia of Greece (the daughter of Prince Giorgios and Princess Marie, née Bonaparte, and granddaughter of King Giorgios I).

Margarete’s parents divorced when she was 10; her father remarried in 1932 to Helena Holbrook-Walker; in 1923 Prince Alexander Karl was naturalized as Italian citizen, taking the title of Principe della Torre e Tasso (the Italian translation of their German surname) and was created Duke of Castel Duino, in Friuli, that still is the family seat of the descendants of Prince Raimondo and Princess Evgenia.

Princess Margarete married in Paris on 29 April 1931 His Royal Highness Prince Gaetano of Bourbon-Parma (1905-1958), the 24^th and youngest son of the late Duke Roberto of Parma (1848-1907) and his second wife Duchess Maria Antonia, née Infanta of Portugal (1862-1959). Among Prince Gaetano’s half-siblings were three titular Dukes of Parma (Enrico, Giuseppe and Elias), and Princess Maria Luisa of Bulgaria (the first wife of King Ferdinand I), while among his siblings were Duke Xavier of Parma (Head of the Carlism, and father of the present Duke Carlos Hugo), Empress Zita of Austria and Prince Felix of Luxembourg. Read more…

MAfan Italian Royals Biography, Birthday, Bourbon-Parma, Princess Margarete

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Prince Reza Cyrus Pahlavi celebrated his 49th birthday on October 31st , 2009 in the company of his family at Empress Farah’s house in Washington (USA).

In honour of the occasion, Reza Pahlavi has released new photos of him with his family on his Facebook page.

Born on October 31st, 1960 in Tehran (Iran), Prince Reza is the eldest son of the late Emperor of Iran, Mohammed Reza, and Empress Farah. Reza’s siblings include Princess Farahnaz (1963), Prince Ali Reza (1966), as well as a half-sister, Princess Shahnaz (1940). His youngest sister, Princess Leila, died on June 10, 2001.

After the Iranian Revolution in 1979 Reza Pahlavi, former Crown Prince of Iran, has lived in Egypt and Morocco, and since 1984 in the United States.

View the image at Facebook

Prince Reza married Yasmine Etemad Amini on June 12, 1986. They have three daughters: Noor (April 3, 1992), Iman(September 12, 1993) and Farah (January 17, 2004).

Reza Pahlavi is a prominent voice for the cause of democracy and liberty in his homeland. The Prince has written a number of books including “Gozashteh va Ayandeh” (2000), “Winds of Change ” (2002) and “Iran L’Heure du Choix “(2009).

You can find more pictures on Reza’s facebook page.

salma Iranian Royals Biography, Birthday, Pahlavi Dynasty, Prince Reza

HH Princess Anita of Orange-Nassau, the wife of HH Prince Pieter-Christiaan, today celebrates her fortieth birthday.

View the image at Koninklijkhuis

Princess Anita was born Anita Theodora van Eijk on October 27th, 1969, to Leonardus Antonius and J.C.M. van Eijk. Anita was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland and has an older sister and brother (her brother passed away when Anita was 16 years of age).

From her birth, Anita was a ‘citizen of the world’. She spent her early childhood in Aix-en-Provence, France before the family headed back to the Netherlands where Anita undertook her primary school education. With three countries already under her belt, the future Princess then moved to Singapore where she attended high school at the United World College of South East Asia. It was then back to the Netherlands, and Anita completed an International Baccalaureate from the Rhineland Lyceum. Read more…

JessRulz Dutch Royals Biography, Birthday, Princess Anita

Her Imperial Highness Princess Ashraf Pahlavi turns 90 years old today.

She was born on 26 October 1919, the second daughter and third child of the then Reza Khan Mirpanj and his wife, née Nimtaj Khanum; when Ashraf was 6, her father became Shahanshah Reza Pahlavi, Emperor of Iran, and her mother became the Queen Consort Tadj ol-Molouk.

Princess Ashraf - courtesy of roglo.eu

Ashraf’s siblings were an older sister, Princess Shams, a twin-brother, Shahanshah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, and a younger brother, Prince Alì Reza.

In 1925 her father Reza Khan was declared Shah of Iran, and during his reign – between 1925 and 1941 – he pursued a politic of strong modernisation, introducing several economic and social reforms, among whom was the increasing of civil and political rights for the women; this politic was proceeded after Reza Shah’s deposition in 1941 by his son Mohammed Reza Shah, who tried to approach Iran to the Western World through the so-called “White revolution”.

Princess Ashraf grew up supporting this politic, and taking an active part in it. She was, as well as her sister Princess Shams, one of the first women to discard the veil in Iran; she devoted to welfare and social work activities, becoming Vice-President of the Imperial Organization for Social Services and President of the High Council of the Iranian Women’s Association, promoting of these organizations to reach their aims in the cultural, health, educational, legal, and social fields. Read more…

MAfan Iranian Royals Biography, Birthday, Pahlavi Dynasty, Princess Ashraf

The Imperial Family Courtesy of yahoo news

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko welcomed 1,699 distinguished guests to their annual Autumn Garden Party at the Akasaka Gyoen garden. Prince Akishino, Princess Kiko, Princess Takamado and Princess Akiko of Mikasa attended the party as well.

The guests included actress Mitsuko Mori, astronaut Koichi Wakata and director Yojiro Takita.  The Emperor broke the rule of never inquiring about a lady’s age and asked Mitsuko Mori: “You’re almost 90, aren’t you?” Mori, however, didn’t appear to mind: she smiled and replied, “Yes, next year”. Mori also spoke of her memories of the night the Emperor was born, when all the sirens in Kyoto sound to announce the birth of the Heir. The Empress, meanwhile, had a conversation with Wakata. The astronaut spoke of his experience of the “perfect darkness” of space – a reference to a poem read by Empress Michiko at the 1997 New Year’s poetry reading. “When I was on the International Space Station, the ‘perfect darkness’ of space seemed to be filled up with dreams and hopes,” he said.

Princess Mako Image from Wikipedia

The Imperial Family has yet more causes for celebration.

October 22 marks the 68th wedding anniversary of Takahito, Prince Mikasa (Emperor Hirohito’s younger brother) and Yuriko Takagi, the daughter of Viscount Masanori Takagi. Prince Mikasa is Emperor Akihito’s only surviving paternal uncle.

On October 23, Princess Mako turns 18. Mako is the elder daughter of Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko and the first grandchild for the Emperor and Empress. Mako is currently a student at Gakushūin High School.

Princess Yoko of Mikasa turns 16 on October 25. Yoko is the younger daughter of Prince Tomohito of Mikasa and Nobuko Aso. Prince Tomohito is the eldest son of Prince and Princess Mikasa and Heir to the Princely House of Mikasa-no-miya. Nobuko, Princess Tomohito is the daughter of Takakichi Asō and Kazuko (the daughter of former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida), as well as the sister of former Prime Minister Tarō Asō. Princess Yoko has graduated Gakushūin College with a Bachelor’s degree in Foreign Relations and has been a practitioner of the traditional Japanese martial art of kendō from an early age.

To learn more about Imperial Family of Japan, visit this thread.

Marsel Japanese Royals Birthday, Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko, Garden Party, Prince Mikasa, Princess Mako, Princess Yoko

Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria was born 150 years ago, on 22 October 1859, in the Royal Palace in Madrid.

He was the eldest son of Prince Adalbert of Bavaria (1828-1875) and his wife Princess Amalia, née Infanta of Spain (1834-1905); his paternal grandparents were King Ludwig I and Queen Therese of Bavaria, while his maternal grandparents were Infante Francisco de Paula and Infanta Luisa Carlotta of Spain; among his cousins were three Kings of Bavaria, Ludwig II, Otto and Ludwig III, and King Alfonso XII of Spain.

Prince Ludwig Ferdinand in 1906 - from Wikipedia

Prince Ludwig Ferdinand grew up firstly in Spain and later in Bavaria together with his four siblings, a brother, Prince Alfons, and three sisters, Princess Isabella, later Princess of Savoy and Duchess of Genova, Princess Elvira, later Countess von Wrbna, and Princess Clara.

Ludwig Ferdinand studied medicine in Heidelberg and Munich, following the example of Duke Karl Theodor in Bavaria, and took the government licensing examination in Surgery and Gynaecology; he also was member of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe (German Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics) and Cirujano honorario de la Real Academia Española (Honorary Surgeon of the Spanish Royal Academy); his devotion to the medicine was seen by his family as one of the many eccentricities of the members of the Bavarian Royal Family, but later it has been very appreciated, since the Prince used to practise his job of surgeon gratuitously. Read more…

MAfan German Royals, Historical Royals Anniversary, Bavaria, Biography, Birthday, Prince Ludwig Ferdinand

On her 75th birthday, Empress Michiko issued a call for the abolition of atomic weapons and expressed hope that one day we’ll all live in a nuclear-free world.

The Imperial Couple. Courtesy of IHA. Editorial use-only.

The Empress noted: “The horrors of nuclear weapons are not only the magnitude of their destruction but also the serious and tragic effects of radiation that leaves victims suffering long. I think Japan, the country that has been hit by atomic bombs, needs to seek broader and deeper understanding of this in the international community”.

Japan remains the only country in the world to have directly suffered from a nuclear weapon attack: on August 6, 1945 the United States dropped an atomic bomb on city of Hiroshima and 3 days later, on August 9, another bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. The combined death toll exceeded 200,000 people, while hundreds of thousands suffered from lasting effects of radiation and burns.

The Empress also spoke of one of the biggest worries of recent times – the economic recession. “Many people lost their jobs and homes, had to give up on higher education or had hiring promises cancelled. This was the most serious concern in this past year,” she said.

To commemorate Empress Michiko’s birthday, the IHA has released series of new pictures; you can see them in this thread.

To learn more about Empress Michiko’s life, read this blog entry.

Marsel Japanese Royals Birthday, Empress Michiko