Duke Ludwig of Württemberg renounced rights because of marriage (1930-2019)

Duke Ludwig Albrecht Maria Philipp Peter Ferdinand Karl Gottfried Georg Alfons of Württemberg, the elder brother of Duke Carl, who is head of the royal house, died after a long illness on October 6 at Weingarten (Ravensburg).  He was 88 years old.

Duke Ludwig was born at Stuttgart on  October 23, 1930, the first son and second child of Philipp, Duke of Württemberg, and his second wife Archduchess Rosa of Austria. 

He chose  to renounce his rights of succession and inheritance on June 29, 1959 as his forthcoming marriage did not comply with the then House laws.  His younger brother, Duke Carl, became the heir, and succeeded as head of the house  in 1975.

Duke Ludwig married Baroness Adelheid von Bodman on February 16, 1960.  This marriage ended in divorce in 1970.  Two years later, in August 1972, he married Angelika Kiessing.  This marriage also ended in divorce, in 1988.

Duke Ludwig was an interior designer.


He is survived by his four children, Christian Albrecht, Isabelle, Sibylla and Christiane (Frau Titzing), at least three grandchildren, including Sylvie Herzogin and Louis Herzog von Württemberg,   and his siblings: Maria Christina (Princess Georg of Liechtenstein), Helene (Marquesa Pallavinci). Elisabeth (Princess Antoine of Bourbon-Two Sicilies,) Marie Therese (Duchess of Montpensier) and Carl, Duke of Württemberg.


His memorial service will take place on October 19 at Altshausen.

Mail Call

Thank yous from the the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for the baptism of their son, Archie and for the Duke's birthday

Queen's Lost Family now on Smithsonian Channel

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The Channel 4 three-part series,  Queen's Lost Family, which focused on Princess Mary,  is being televised in the United States on the Smithsonian Channel.

The program has been retitled to Private Lives of the Windsors. 

The first episode was shown on October 4 and will be repeated several times.

Episode 2 will be shown on October 14.

https://www.smithsonianchannel.com/shows/private-lives-of-the-windsors/1006031?fbclid=IwAR3m8kcBNpdCQMvGJiTynat3-RTqGTqNdNYXWBqaiNRTzpZ2WzYq_TQAooQ

Mail call

Look what came in yesterday's mail!

Prince George of Cambridge -- and now we are six.

Ashley Hicks to sell his London flat

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Ashley Hicks, the noted interior designer, selling his flat in the historic and iconic Albany, a three-story apartment building on Piccadilly.

The Albany was built as a mansion in the 1770s and divided into apartments known as Sets, in 1802. The mansion was originally owned by Viscount Melbourne.  After squandering his fortune in 1791, Lord Melbourne made arrangement to exchange homes with Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, the second son of George III, who had recently married Princess Frederica of Prussia.  Within a few years, Frederick and his eccentric wife, who preferred her "menagerie of cats, dogs and monkeys," separated.  The Duchess of York and Albany moved to Oatlands and the duke, who was having financial difficulties was forced to see his home.  The property was bought by a developer, Alexander Copeland, who with architect William Holland, turned the mansion into small apartments for well-heeled (usually bachelors) men. 

Ashley's parents. the late interior designer David Hicks and his wife, Lady Pamela Mountbatten. bought the 2-bedroom apartment in 1979.

Three years after his father's death in 1998, Ashley, now 56,  moved into the apartment .  His mother, Lady Pamela, decided to live full time at their Oxford home, the Grove, as she no longer could "longer manage the steep stone stairway that leads to the front door."   Lady Pamela is the younger daughter of the late Earl Mountbatten of Burma.  She is a first cousin to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

Ashley is in divorce proceedings with his second wife, American-born Kata Sharkey de Solis, by whom he has two young sons, Caspar and Horatio.  His first marriage to Italian designer Allegra Tondato also ended in divorce.  He has two grown daughters, Angelica and Ambrosia.

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 Ashley put his "own provocative stamp" when he redesigned the apartment, where he lived for nearly 20 years, most recently with his second wife, Kata.

The offering price for the 917 sq ft apartment is  £3,250,000.

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https://search.savills.com/property-detail/gbsshsslh180112


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7BGK1CyS0A

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/ashley-hicks-london-apartment


https://www.ashleyhicks.com/a-set-in-albany

https://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/11/londons-best-and-most-secretive-address/

King Carl XVI Gustaf announces changes to Royal Family

Sandra Birgersdotter/ Kungl Hovstaterna

Official announcement; "His Majesty The King has decided on changes to The Royal House. The purpose of these changes is to establish which members of The Royal Family may be expected to perform official duties incumbent on the Head of State or related to the function of the Head of State.

His Majesty The King has decided that the children of Their Royal Highnesses Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, and the children of Her Royal Highness Princess Madeleine and Mr Christopher O’Neill will no longer be members of The Royal House.

Prince Alexander, Prince Gabriel, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas and Princess Adrienne will continue to be members of The Royal Family. However, they will no longer enjoy the style of Royal Highness and, in the future, will not be expected to perform duties incumbent on the Head of State.

Prince Alexander (Duke of Södermanland), Prince Gabriel (Duke of Dalarna), Princess Leonore (Duchess of Gotland), Prince Nicolas (Duke of Ångermanland) and Princess Adrienne (Duchess of Blekinge) will retain their titles of Duke and Duchess previously granted by His Majesty.

His Majesty The King and Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess are, together with Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness Prince Daniel, Sweden’s highest representatives within the Realm and vis-à-vis other States.

Their Royal Highnesses Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, and Her Royal Highness Princess Madeleine will continue their work in the non-profit foundations and organisations which they have founded or in which they are involved. In addition, they will perform official duties to the extent decided by His Majesty."



OFFICE OF THE MARSHAL OF THE REALM

7 October 2019

Fredrik Wersäll
Marshal of the Realm

A press conference followed the announcement.  The children retain their princely and ducal titles, but these titles are personal, and will not be shared with spouses or children.

 Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia and Princess Madeleine will continue to carry out their charitable engagements.  Their children will not carry out official engagement.

In his statement to the the press, Wersall said the "decision is not irrevocable."  The line of succession has not changed.

On Instagram. both  Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine commented on announcement.

Carl Philip: "Today, the King announced the decision that our children no longer hold the Royal Highness position. We see this as positive as Alexander and Gabriel will have freer choices in life.
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They will retain their prince titles and their duchies, Södermanland and Dalarna, which we value and are proud of. Our family has strong connections to both landscapes and we maintain our commitment there.
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We will continue to focus on our heart issues and commitment. We will also continue to support the King and Crown Princess - our future head of state - and participate in the Royal House activities as we wish."

HRH Princess Madeleine of Sweden

Madeleine: "Earlier today,  the Court  went out with the information that Leonore, Nicolas and Adrienne will no longer belong to the Royal House.
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This change has been planned for a long time. Chris and I think it is good that our children now have a greater opportunity to shape their own lives as individuals in the future."

The reburial of Queen Helen

A noble engagement - Liechtenstein- Toerring-Jettenbach

HSH Princess Therese Maria of Liechtenstein and Count Cajetan von Toerring-Jettenbach.

Princess Theresa is the elder of two daughters of Prince Michael of Liechtenstein and his wife, Hildegard Peters.   She was born at Munich on February 22, 1987.

She is the granddaughter of the late Prince Heinrich of Liechtenstein (1916-1991) and Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria (1922-1993), the youngest child of late Emperor Karl of Austria and Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma.   Prince Heinrich was the son of the late Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein and Princess  Theresia Maria Pss zu Oettingen-Oettingen u.Oettingen-Wallerstein.

Count Cajetan Anton Gaudenz Tassilo of Toerring-Jettenbach  is the fourth of five children of Count Hans-Caspar of Toerring-Jettenbach and Countess Elisabeth of Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg.    He was born at Munich on December 22, 1986.

The couple became engaged two weeks during a holiday in Greece.

Count Cajetan has degrees from the American University of Paris and Regent's University in London.  He works for the Toerring-Jettenbach's family business.

http://www.toerring-seefeld.de/ 

His father is a first cousin of the present head of the Toerring-Jettenbach,  Hans-Veit, Count of Toerring-Jettenbach.

Cajetan's grandparents are Count Maria Constantine Friedrich Georg Wunibald Wilhelm Josef Anton of Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg and Princess Eleonore of Bavaria and  Count Hans Heribert Wilhelm Veit Adolf of Toerring-Jettenbach and Baroness  Maria Immaculata Waldbott von Bassenheim.   His paternal great-grandparents were Hans-Veit, Count of Toerring-Jettenbach and Duchess Sophie in Bavaria, a niece of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.

Theresa and Cajetan have been dating for about ten years.  She is a former girlfriend Pierre Casiraghi and Otto, Prince of Castell-Rüdenhausen.

It is about time The Harassment has got to stop

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Statement by His Royal Highness
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
01 OCTOBER 2019


As a couple, we believe in media freedom and objective, truthful reporting. We regard it as a cornerstone of democracy and in the current state of the world – on every level – we have never needed responsible media more.

Unfortunately, my wife has become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences – a ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son.

There is a human cost to this relentless propaganda, specifically when it is knowingly false and malicious, and though we have continued to put on a brave face – as so many of you can relate to – I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been. Because in today’s digital age, press fabrications are repurposed as truth across the globe. One day’s coverage is no longer tomorrow’s chip-paper.

Up to now, we have been unable to correct the continual misrepresentations - something that these select media outlets have been aware of and have therefore exploited on a daily and sometimes hourly basis.

It is for this reason we are taking legal action, a process that has been many months in the making. The positive coverage of the past week from these same publications exposes the double standards of this specific press pack that has vilified her almost daily for the past nine months; they have been able to create lie after lie at her expense simply because she has not been visible while on maternity leave. She is the same woman she was a year ago on our wedding day, just as she is the same woman you’ve seen on this Africa tour.

For these select media this is a game, and one that we have been unwilling to play from the start. I have been a silent witness to her private suffering for too long. To stand back and do nothing would be contrary to everything we believe in.

This particular legal action hinges on one incident in a long and disturbing pattern of behaviour by British tabloid media. The contents of a private letter were published unlawfully in an intentionally destructive manner to manipulate you, the reader, and further the divisive agenda of the media group in question. In addition to their unlawful publication of this private document, they purposely misled you by strategically omitting select paragraphs, specific sentences, and even singular words to mask the lies they had perpetuated for over a year.

There comes a point when the only thing to do is to stand up to this behaviour, because it destroys people and destroys lives. Put simply, it is bullying, which scares and silences people. We all know this isn’t acceptable, at any level. We won’t and can’t believe in a world where there is no accountability for this.

Though this action may not be the safe one, it is the right one. Because my deepest fear is history repeating itself. I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.

We thank you, the public, for your continued support. It is hugely appreciated. Although it may not seem like it, we really need it.

MEDIA INFORMATION
Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Sussex has filed a claim against Associated Newspapers over the misuse of private information, infringement of copyright and breach of the Data Protection Act 2018.

The proceedings in the Chancery Division of the High Court relate to the unlawful publication of a private letter.

A legal spokesperson from Schillings who are representing The Duchess of Sussex said:

“We have initiated legal proceedings against the Mail on Sunday, and its parent company Associated Newspapers, over the intrusive and unlawful publication of a private letter written by the Duchess of Sussex, which is part of a campaign by this media group to publish false and deliberately derogatory stories about her, as well as her husband. Given the refusal of Associated Newspapers to resolve this issue satisfactorily, we have issued proceedings to redress this breach of privacy, infringement of copyright and the aforementioned media agenda”.
The case is being privately funded by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Pending a Court ruling, proceeds from any damages will be donated to an anti-bullying charity.

Princess Royal's illness is causing alarm

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September 30, 1929


The health of Princess Louise, the Duchess of Fife, eldest sister of King George V, is "causing some concern," reports the Associated Press.

A bulletin was issued earlier today.  "The Princess Royal had a slight gastric hemorrhage yesterday. Her Royal Highness passed a restful night but the condition of her heart causes some anxiety."

The Princess Royal is 62 years old, just two years younger than King George.  She was created Princess Royal in 1905 by her father King Edward VII.

She suffered from a "chill several days ago" which has "developed into gastric trouble with hemorrhage."   In 1925, she suffered from a similar ailment but recovered "in a comparatively short time" after receiving a blood tranfusion.

The Princess Royal is the widow of the Duke of Fife, who died in 1912.  She has two daughters, Alexandra, who is married to Prince Arthur of Connaught, and Maud, the wife the Lord Carnegie.

Alexandra, who succeeded her father, as the 2nd Duchess of Fife, is styled as RH Princess Arthur of Connaught.  Her younger sister, is Lady Maud Carnegie.  Her husband is the heir to the earl of Southesk.

The Princess is resting at her home in Braemar.

Grand Duchess Charlotte happy with vote

September 29, 1919


Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg sat down earlier today with a correspondent from the Associated Press where she said that she was pleased with the result.

Luxembourg citizens voted to retain the monarchy and have an economic alliance with Belgium or France.  The vote was in favor of establishing a relationship with France.


"I am sure the people voted for me because it was the surest way to preserve the independence of the country,"  the Grand Duchess said as she "sat in the Grand Ducal Palace awaiting the returns from the plebiscite." Early returns showed that the Grand Duchess would remain as sovereign of the Grand Duchy.

"It is not for myself that I hope for I do not like politics.  In politics there is so much that is false."

She told the reporter that she considered resigning and noted that the success of the referendum, which she said "was the first time any monarch had placed a dynasty in legal jeopardy."

"I was willing to do it because it seemed to be the right thing to do.  Being a ruler is very interesting, but without the responsibility life would be much freer and quieter."

It was noted that at the end of the first day of the counting of the ballots more than 80,000 votes had been cast, "representing two-thirds of the electorate."  Counting will be continue for several more days.

It is "unofficially reported" that more women than men voted in the election.

Lord Harewood marries Miss Stein

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 September 29, 1949


The Earl of Harewood and Miss Marion Stein were married this afternoon at St. Mark's Church, North Audley Street, in London, reports the New York Times.

More than 10,000 people lined the "streets and squares between the church and Buckingham and St. James's Palace," hoping for a glimpse of the royal family and the newlyweds.

The 26-year-old Earl of Harewood is the nephew of King George VI.  He is the elder of two sons of Princess Mary, the Princess Royal, King George's only sister.  He succeeded to the earldom two years ago following the death of his father.  Austrian-born Miss Stein is 22 years old.

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The ceremony was attended by all the members of the Royal Family with the exception of the groom's grandmother, Queen Mary.  She did attend the reception at St. James's Palace, where the Earl and Countess of Harewood will have an apartment after they return from their honeymoon in France and Italy.

Miss Stein is the daughter of Erwin Stein, who came from Vienna to England before the war.  Mr. Stein is a member of "music publishing concern in London."

She wore a "silver brocade dress with a sweeping train and a white veil edged with lace, given her by Princess Mary. "  A wreath "of tiny white gardenias encircled her head."   The Associated Press described the new Countess' gown as a "white French gown patterned with silver sprays.  A scimitar-shaped diamond brooch flashed at her breast."

A "wreath of tiny white gardenias encircled her head."   Miss Stein was given away by her father.   Lord Harewood's best man was his younger brother, the Hon. Gerald Lascelles.

Nine hundred guests were invited to the wedding, including King George VI,  Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Margaret, all of whom sat in the front row.  Other guests included staff from the 2000 acres Harewood House estate near Leeds, the actor Douglas Fairbanks and his wife and the recently engaged Marquess of Milford Haven, who is expected to marry American divorcee, Romaine Simpson in November.

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Lord Milford Haven attended the wedding without his fiance, as Mrs. Simpson was not invited. Her spokesman, Frank Shaw, told the press that "no slight was intended."  He explained that the "engagement was announced only Wednesday."  The invitations to the wedding had been sent out some weeks earlier.

"A last minute invitation was considered," Mr. Shaw explained,  "but as "Mrs. Simpson has not been presented at court it was thought her presence at the wedding might be a source of embarrassment both to her and to members of the royal family whom she would meet."

After their reception,  Lord and Lady Harewood left St. James's Palace in a dark blue Rolls Royce for Northolt Airport for their flight to Paris.  Lord Harewood had changed from his morning suit to a "light gray lounge suit."  The new countess wore a "pleated dress, bolero jacket and "off-the-face hat in ice blue, accessories in burgundy and a pearl necklace."

Lord Harewood told the press, who were waiting at the airport.  "We had a very exciting day."

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King George VI Blesses Milford Haven marriage

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September 28, 1949

King George VI has given his blessing to the marriage of the Marquess of Milford Haven to Mrs Romaine Simpson, a Washington, D.C., divorcee, reports United Press.

Fran Shaw, a press agent, issued a "Hollywood-style" press release announcing Lord Milford Haven's engagement.  Milford Haven wrote to the King, to "inform him of intentions and that the King had sent his 'best wishes' late today.

Lord Milford Haven's mother, the Marchioness of Milford Haven, who is in Cannes, France, issued a statement as well, saying she "approved entirely" of her son's engagement to Mrs. Simpson.  Lady Milford Haven described her future daughter in law as a "charming woman."

Lord Milford Haven, a first cousin of the Duke of Edinburgh, and his fiancee, met with the press at Claridge's Hotel.    He said he wrote to the King "as a matter of courtesy" although he is "so far removed from possible succession to the Crown: and he was not subject to the Royal Marriages Act of 1772.

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He wrote to the King "a short time ago."   Lord Milford Haven, who sells electric heaters, says "it will be a big wedding."

The ceremony is expected to take place at the Washington, D.C., home of Mrs. Simpson's mother, at the end of the November.   He added that "the best man will be British and there will be several maids of honor."

He was asked if the Duke of Edinburgh would be the best man, as Lord Milford Haven served as best man when Philip married Princess Elizabeth in November 1948.

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"I don't see how he could make it, but anyhow best men usually are bachelors.

Mrs. Simpson, 26 and the mother of an 18-month-old daughter, told the press: "I am very much in love with David.  It was probably love at first sight but I can't remember,  This husband is definitely for keeps."

She said they had met in London in May and had "four dates in a row." In July she visited Milford Haven's mother in Cannes.  The formal proposal came shortly afterward.

Neither could "remember when it was."

However, her third finger was still bare as Mrs Simpson comment: "Still looking for a ring, aren't we David?

Mrs. Simpson was also asked if she "expected" to meet the King and Queen before she returned to the United States. "No, I am a little nervous about it."
She added that she had met the Duke of Edinburgh last week.

"In a night club?" one reporter asked.

"Not all things happen in a night club," she answered.

Mrs. Simpson said she would live in Britain but would retain her American citizenship.

"Once an American, always an American."

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The Marquess interjected:  I am glad to be settling down. And I am glad I am marrying an American. I have always admired them."

Mrs.  Simpson was also asked if she would be bringing her young daughter, Gwendolyn, with her.  "Oh, let's leave her out of it.  All that's not settled."

Lord Milford Haven did not expect that members of the royal family will attend his wedding..  "My own relatives will find it very difficult with the dollar problem,"

Mrs. Simpson has not made her decision on bridesmaids.  She is Episcopalian and the Marquess is a member of the Church of England.

She was married in 1946 to William Simpson, a Chicago department store executive.  They were divorced last year in Reno.

"I'm comfortably off. I have an independent income.:  She added that she received a "very small" amount of alimony for her first husband.

They were also asked if they wanted children.  The tall divorcee responded:  Well, I like children."

The Marquess chuckled:  "That's looking a bit far ahead -- after all, we're not married yet."

The conservative Times of London has not reported on the engagement , part from Lord Milford Haven's paid engagement announcement.  This is seen as a "snub of their relationship due to the apparent "disdain, which court circles feel towards the engagement of the marquis to a Reno divorcee."

One well-informed court source said: "I have never known this to happen before. The news of a forthcoming marriage involving a member of the royal family or even a titled family has always been either inserted in the court circular or high up in the news columns."

It is unlikely that any member of the royal family will attend the wedding.

David Michael, the 3rd Marquess of  Milford Haven, 30, is the son of George, the late 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven and Countess Nada Torby, a daughter of the late Grand Duke Michael of Russia.  His paternal grandmother is Victoria,  Marchioness of Milford Haven, is a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.  She lives at Kensington Palace.

Grand Duchess Charlotte wins plebiscite

Marlene A. Eilers Koenig collection

September 28, 1919

Grand Duchess Charlotte will be remain as sovereign of the tiny Duchy of Luxembourg thanks to a plebiscite, where citizens voted in favor of the retaining the monarchy and an economic alliance with France.

According to the New York Times report, "women, old and young, notwithstanding the heavy early morning rain, went to the polls and voted with the men.:

it is believed that the women cast the "deciding vote" in favor of retaining Grand Duchess Charlotte, who "paved the way for woman suffrage in Luxembourg."

The Luxembourg voters preferred an economic alliance with France rather than Belgium as France could provide coal for Luxembourg's iron industry.

Luxembourg's Premier Emile Reuter  predicted that voters preferred the status quo and vote to retain the monarchy.

 "There is no doubt that the people will vote for Grand Duchess Charioteer as the only means of conserving national independence."

Just added to my collection

This card commemorates the marriage of Duke Ernst Gunther of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Dorothea of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.  The Duke was the brother of Empress Auguste Viktoria of Germany, consort of Wilhelm II.  The marriage took place at Coburg on August 2, 1898

Gottfried, 8th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1897-1960), was the eldest son of Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and Ernst, 7th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

Prince Carl and Princess Ingeborg of Sweden and their daughters, Crown Princess Martha of Norway, Princess Margaretha of Denmark and Queen Astrid of Belgium

the engagement photo of Princess Sybilla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Hereditary Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, parents of the present King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf

Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden and her sister, Princess Patricia of Connaught.