Tag Archives: Biography

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Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark: An Obituary

  February 14, 2018 at 4:00 am by

It cannot be said that the life of Prince Henrik, Denmark’s Prince Consort, was uninteresting: he spent his childhood in Vietnam, worked for the French Foreign Ministry before marrying the heir to the Danish throne, is a published poet, and made headlines for his comments on his title and status within the Danish Royal Family. The Prince died on February 13 at the age of 83. Born on June 11, 1934 in … Continue reading →

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On This Day: Death of Otto – A Greek King, A Bavarian Prince

  July 26, 2017 at 3:00 am by

Today is the 150th anniversary of the death of Otto, the Bavarian Prince who reigned as King of the Hellenes from 1832 to 1862. Prince Otto Friedrich Ludwig of Bavaria was born on June 1, 1815 at Mirabell Palace in Salzburg; his parents were the future King of Bavaria, Ludwig I, and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. In 1832, after Greece gained independence from the Ottoman Empire, the Great Powers (Great Britain, France and … Continue reading →

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On This Day: Birth of Max of Baden, German Chancellor

  July 10, 2017 at 3:00 am by

150 years ago, Prince Maximilian of Baden – future Margrave, future Chancellor of Imperial Germany – was born in Baden-Baden to Prince Wilhelm of Baden and Princess Maria Maximilianovna of Leuchtenberg. Prince Max was the couple’s second child, his elder sister Marie would marry the Duke of Anhalt in 1889. Among his ancestors, the Prince could count Grand Dukes of Baden and Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Tsars of Russia, and Kings of Bavaria, … Continue reading →

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On This Day: Mary of Teck, Future British Queen, Is Born

  May 26, 2017 at 7:00 am by

150 years ago, a Princess was born at Kensington Palace – Victoria Mary of Teck. Her father was a German Prince who later became the Duke of Teck, while her mother was a granddaughter of the British King George III. May, as she was known, would bring her family back into the main line of the British Royal Family through her marriage to a future British King. Princess May spent … Continue reading →

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On This Day: A Future Greek Queen Is Born

  April 18, 2017 at 5:00 am by

One century ago, a baby Princess was born in the German town of Blankenburg am Harz to the Duke and Duchess of Brunswick. She was named Frederica, and forty years later, would become the Queen Consort of the Hellenes. Princess Frederica, whose full name was Friederike Luise Thyra Victoria Margarita Sophia Olga Cecilia Isabella Christa, was the only daughter of Ernst August, Duke of Brunswick and Head of the House of Hanover, and his … Continue reading →

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On This Day: Death of Alexandra, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

  April 16, 2017 at 7:00 am by

The Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, born Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh, died seventy-five years ago on April 16, 1942 at the age of 63. She died in Schwäbisch Hall where the Hohenlohe-Langenburg family has its main residence, Schloss Langenburg. It was here, in the family cemetery, the Princess was laid to rest. Princess Alexandra is one of the lesser-known daughters of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (second son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom) … Continue reading →

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On This Day: Queen Victoria Gives Birth To Her Last Child

  April 14, 2017 at 6:00 am by

160 years ago, on April 14, 1857, the ninth and final child – “it is a fine child, and a girl!” [1] – of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was born, two weeks overdue, at Buckingham Palace. Princess Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore was the couple’s fifth daughter, and quickly became a favourite of her parents, who were happy to indulge her in … Continue reading →

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On This Day: The Death of Greece’s War-Time King

  April 1, 2017 at 6:00 am by

April 1, 2017 is the 70th anniversary of the death of King George II of the Hellenes at the age of 56. Having only been back in his country for a little over six months following his war-time exile, George was found unconscious in his drawing room at the Royal Palace in Athens by his youngest sister, Princess Katherine, on the afternoon of April 1. The cause of death was arteriosclerosis. When … Continue reading →

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On This Day: Death of Luise Margarete of Prussia

  March 14, 2017 at 4:00 am by

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the death of the only Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn, Princess Luise Margarete of Prussia. Born on July 15, 1860 at the Marble Palace in Potsdam, Luise Margarete was the youngest daughter of Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia and Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau. Among her ancestors were Kings of Prussia, Tsars of Russia, Grand Dukes of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, the first Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Landgraves of … Continue reading →

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On This Day: 125 Years Since The Death of Hesse’s Ludwig IV

  March 13, 2017 at 3:00 am by

125 years ago, on March 13, 1892, Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse passed away in the early hours of the morning at the age of fifty-four. He had been the Grand Duchy’s ruler since 1877, following the death of his uncle, Ludwig III. Born in September 1837, the Grand Duke was the eldest son of Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine and his Prussian wife, Elisabeth. It was expected that Ludwig … Continue reading →

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On This Day: Queen Alia of Jordan Passes Away

  February 9, 2017 at 4:00 am by

Forty years ago today, Her Majesty Queen Alia Al Hussein was killed in a helicopter crash. She was returning from an inspection trip to Tafileh Hospital in southern Jordan when the helicopter she was travelling in crashed. Among the casualties of the accident were: the Minister of Health, the pilot Badreddin Zaza, a friend of King Hussein, and the military doctor. Despite the bad weather and warnings from King Hussein not to … Continue reading →

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On This Day: Two British Royal Deaths

  January 16, 2017 at 10:00 am by

Today, January 16, marks the death anniversaries of two members of the British Royal Family – Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn and Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone. In 1942, Prince Arthur – the third son of Queen Victoria – passed away at his country home, Bagshot Park, at the age of 91. Born in May 1850, Arthur spent four decades serving in the British Army. He trained in the … Continue reading →

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On This Day: Prince Albert Victor Dies

  January 14, 2017 at 9:00 am by

125 years ago, the second in line to the British throne – Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale – passed away at Sandringham House at the age of 28. He had contracted influenza, which developed in pneumonia. His family were devastated by his unexpected death, none more so than his mother, the Princess of Wales, who said after Prince Albert Victor’s funeral on January 20, she had “buried my angel … Continue reading →

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On This Day: Birth of Landgrave Philipp of Hesse

  November 6, 2016 at 12:11 pm by

One hundred twenty years ago today, Prince Philipp of Hesse was born in Schloss Rumpenheim in Offenbach. The prince was the third son of Prince Friedrich Karl of Hesse and Princes Margaret of Prussia, sister of Emperor Wilhelm II and grand daughter of Britain’s Queen Victoria. The prince had a younger twin-brother, Prince Wolfgang. During his childhood the prince went to schools in England and Germany. At the beginning of … Continue reading →

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A Romanian Royal Birthday!

  October 29, 2016 at 3:09 pm by

Today marks the 59th Birthday of Her Royal Highness Princess Sophie of Romania, the 4th daughter of Their Majesties King Michael and the late Queen Anne. Born in Athens, Princess Sophie studied initially in Switzerland and in England. Later on, she developed her interests in fine arts, graphic design and photography when she moved to the United States, conducting her education in these fields at the Fine Arts University North … Continue reading →

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Obituary: King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand

  October 13, 2016 at 9:15 am by

The world’s longest reigning monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand was revered in his people, described by members of the public as ‘the heart of the country’. He has been a constant figure throughout decades of political instability and divisions, viewed as a unifying force. Born on December 5, 1927 in Cambridge, Massachusetts – the only monarch to be born on United States soil – Bhumibol Adulydaej was the youngest child … Continue reading →

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Queen Anne-Marie Turns Seventy

  August 30, 2016 at 7:00 am by

The last Queen of the Hellenes, Anne-Marie, today celebrates a milestone birthday: she turns seventy. Born Princess Anne-Marie Dagmar Ingrid of Denmark, she is the third and final daughter of the late King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid, nee Princess of Sweden. Like her two older sisters, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Princess Benedikte of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Anne-Marie was born in Amalienborg Palace, in Copenhagen. At her christening shortly after her birth, she was given a bevy of royal godparents: King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine of … Continue reading →

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Queen Anne of Romania – An Obituary

  August 2, 2016 at 7:36 am by

The sad news announced yesterday of the death of Queen Anne of Romania has been met with many messages of condolences and sadness amongst so many royal watchers and followers of the Royal Family of Romania. She was a great and admirable lady, related to many royals throughout Europe, yet she enjoyed the simple things in life, was never showy or grand nor did she act in any way other … Continue reading →

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On This Day: Death of Queen Louise of Denmark

  May 20, 2016 at 5:59 am by

Exactly 90 years ago, on this day in 1926, Queen Louise of Denmark died in Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. The Queen was born Princess Lovisa Josefina Eugenia of Sweden, daughter of King Carl XV of Sweden and Norway and Princess Louise of The Netherlands. Louise was the only surviving child from her parents marriage and would inherit a fortune from her Dutch grandfather Prince Frederik of The Netherlands. Her father … Continue reading →

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On This Day: Duke of Spoleto Becomes King Tomislav II of Croatia

  May 18, 2016 at 6:34 am by

On this day in 1941, seventy-five years ago, Prince Aimone of Savoy-Aosta, Duke of Spoleto was named King Tomislav II of Croatia, Prince of Bosnia Herzegovina and Voivode of Dalmatia, Tuzla and Temun. The Croatians had rebelled against the King of Yugoslavia and joined the Axis powers in 1941. As a reward Hitler elevated the puppet state to the status of a kingdom under the leadership of the fascist Ante … Continue reading →

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