On November 16, 1937, Hereditary Grand Duchess Cecilie and Hereditary Grand Duke George Donatus of Hesse and by Rhine, their two sons, Prince Ludwig and Prince Alexander, and George's mother, Grand Duchess Eleonore were traveling by plane to London to attend a family wedding. The plane crashed leaving no survivors.
Three sons. The third one if he was named before he died, we will never know. Cecile (Prince Philip's sister), was pregnant. It was determined she had actually given birth some time midflight to the baby.
Their daughter Johanna had not been on the flight. She was only a year old, likely why she was left at home. Sadly she died of meningitis less then 2 years later.
They had been headed for the wedding of George's brother Ludwig. Ludwig's wedding took place on time, but he and Margaret married in mourning clothes and then headed home for the funeral. The couple adopted Joanna and planned to raise her as their own.
That's the worst Royal tragedy in recent times, IMO.
I remember it, I was shocked beyond belief. I still am.
The sudden and violent deaths of Queen Astrid of Belgium, Queen Alia of Jordan, Diana Princess of Wales, and Princess Grace of Monaco are not far behind.
Any death by accident are always tragic, no matter who.
But for shock value, a mass murder is something that stays in a person's mind. And when it is the murder of such a prominent group as almost an entire royal family. I remember hearing about the event. I had never heard of the Nepal royal family before. Now I will never forget.
9 members of the royal family were murdered. And four wounded. And then of course the 10th death, the shooter himself.
dead:
-King Birendra
-Queen Aishwarya
-their younger son Prince Nirajan
-Princess Shruti, their only daughter
-Prince Dhirendra, younger brother of the king
-Princess Shanti, the king's sister, the widowed Rani Bahjang (current Raja is her son)
-Princess Sharada, another sister of the king
-Sharada's husband Khadja
-Princess Jayanti, a cousin of the king
shot:
-Princess Shova-another sister of the king
-Gorakh- Shruti's husband
-Princess Komal- the king's sister in law, wife of eventual King Gyanendra
-Ketaki Chester- Princess Jayanti's sister, she had given up her title
The only adult member of the royal family (the king, his children and his siblings) not at least injured, was King Gyanendra.
I remember as a kid watching King Ralph and thinking 'that could never happen'. Okay well 100 people weren't wiped out, but the near wipe out of the royal family in one horrific event was possible.