The Duke of Edinburgh is now the longest living descendant of Queen Victoria

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 Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, born Princess Alice of Albany, is no longer the longest living descendant of Queen Victoria,  That title now goes to HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (ne Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark), the grandson of Alice's first cousin, Princess Victoria of Hesse and by the Rhine.


https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/01/prince-philip-moving-closer-to-longest.html

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Princess Alice still holds the record for the longest living British blood royal.  She achieved this record on July 15, 1977, at age 94 years 140 days, one day older than Princess Augusta of Cambridge, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a granddaughter of George III and a first cousin of Queen Victoria.  Augusta was the aunt of Princess Alice's husband, Alexander, Earl of Athlone (ne Prince Alexander of Teck.)  Princess Alice held the record for nearly 42 years.

Congrats to His Royal Highness on such an achievement -- at least from my perspective as the author of Queen Victoria's Descendants.   He is spending the Easter holiday at Windsor Castle, where his mother, Princess Alice, and his grandmother, Princess Victoria, were born.

Queen Victoria -- Alice (Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse and by Rhine) -- Victoria (Louis, Marquess of Milford Haven, ne Prince Louis of Battenberg) - Alice (Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark) - Philip

Lady Pamela Hicks celebrates 90

Marlene A Eilers Koenig collection (from Lady Pamela Hicks)

In the spring of 1929, Dickie Mountbatten's tour of duty in Malta was about to come to an end.  It was time to return home to Brook House in London, but Edwina, who was seven and a half months pregnant, decided that she wanted one more holiday before heading home. 

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 The couple's daughter, Patricia, then 5 years old and her nanny, were sent back to London by ship.  Edwina and Dickie (Lord Louis) wanted to do some sightseeing first.  Their Hispano car was brought from England.  Edwina and her maid drove around Spain and northern Africa, traveling with friends to Rabat.  It was in Morocco that she ran into Margaret Greville, who was apparently appalled to see the heavily pregnant Lady Louis riding a donkey. It was a long drive back to Malaga where Edwina boarded a train to Madrid and then onto Barcelona, where she and Dickie booked a suite at the Ritz Hotel.

They had looked forward to a week of "gentle sightseeing," but on the morning of April 19, Edwina woke up at 6 a.m, in labor.   An English doctor happened to be staying at the hospital, who called a Spanish anesthesiologist and English nurse to assist with the birth.

Dickie also telephoned his first cousin, Queen Ena of Spain, but it was King Alfonso who answered the phone.  King reassured told Dickie: "Leave everything to me." He sent the Royal Guard to the hospital who tried to arrest the doctor as he arrived at the hospital.

Pamela Carmen Louise Mountbatten was born nearly ten hours later, nearly six weeks early.  Her second and third names honored the Duchess of Peñeranda and Dickie's older sister, Louise, the Crown Princess of Sweden.

Edwina and her infant daughter remained in the suite for three weeks.  Her cousin, Marjorie, the Countess of Brecknock,, came from Paris, and Nanny traveled from London with "a supply of linen and baby clothes."

The baptism took place in the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace in the presence of the Prince of Wales, the King of Spain, the Duke of Gloucester and Prince George.     King Alfonso XIII and Prince George were Pamela's godfathers and her godmothers were the Marchioness of Milford (Nada, the wife of Dickie's older brother George) the Countess of Brecknock and the Duchess of Peñaranda.

The other guests included Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, Princess Beatrice, Princess Helena Victoria, Princess Marie Louise, Miss Patricia Mountbatten, Sir Felix Cassel and the Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven.

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Pamela accompanied her parents to India, where Dickie oversaw the independence of India and the partitioning of India and Pakistan as separate countries.   Lord Mountbatten was the last Viceroy of India.  In 1947,  George VI created Dickie as Earl Mountbatten of Burma & Baron Romsey.  Pamela and her older sister, Patricia, now had the courtesy title of Lady before their Christian names.   The family returned to England in the fall of 1947 to attend the wedding of Pamela's first cousin, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, to Princess Elizabeth.  She was one of Elizabeth's bridesmaids.

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(In 1981, Lady Pamela younger daughter, India, was one of the bridesmaids at the wedding of the Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer.)

It was at a cocktail party in 1959 where Lady Pamela met her future husband, David Hicks.  She wrote in her memoirs that she was "completely bowled over" by Hicks, an interior designer.  "It was an unorthodox match but one that would change my life completely."  They were married at Romsey Abbey on January 13, 1960.

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Lady Pamela and David Hicks, a renowned interior designer, had three children: Edwina (1961), Ashley (1963) and India(1967).  Edwina, whose marriage to Jeremy Brudenell ended in divorce in 2004, has three children, Maddison May, Jordan and Rowan, and two granddaughters, Daphne and Phebe Modupe-Ojo.  Ashley has been married twice and has four children, two daughters, Angelica and Ambrosia by his first wife, Allegra Tondato and two sons, Caspian and Horatio, by his now estranged wife, Kata Sharkey de Solis.  India lives in the Bahamas with her longtime partner, David Flintwood and their four children: Felix, Amory, Conrad, and Domino Flintwood.

David Hicks died in 1998.

Photo by Marlene Eilers Koenig  in 1980s  Lady Brabourne (later 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma) and Lady Pamela Hicks

Lady Pamela lives in Oxfordshire.   She is the author of two books: Daughter of Empire and India Remembered.

https://royalbooknews.blogspot.com/2013/02/daughter-if-empire-life-as-mountbatten.html

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It is a tie for Alice and Philip

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Today, HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the consort of Queen Elizabeth, ties HRH Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, as the longest living descendant of Queen Victoria.

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Tomorrow April 19th, the Duke of Edinburgh will be the longest living descendant of Queen Victoria.

Princess Alice was a granddaughter of Victoria

Prince Philip is a great-great-grandson of Victoria.

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https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/01/prince-philip-moving-closer-to-longest.html

Let's get Chumley!

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I am not going to take sides in the yes-William-had-an-affair-with-Lady C or no-William-has-not-plucked-a-garden-Rose.  But I will use this post to point out that royal writers and news sites called The Daily Beast are clueless about titles and so much else.

The Rose in question is the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, the wife of  David George Philip Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, Earl of Rocksavage, Viscount Malpas.  The family surname is Cholmondeley, pronounced Chumley.      As a peer of the realm,  Lord Cholmondeley signs his name as Cholmondeley.  His wife signs her name as Rose Cholmondeley.

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The present Marquess was born in 1960.  When his grandfather, George, the 4th Marquess was alive,  David was styled as Viscount Malpas.  David's father, then the Earl of Rocksavage succeeded to the Marquessate in 1960.   David, as the heir apparent, was now styled as the Earl of Rocksavage (Lord Rocksavage).

 In 1990, David succeeded his father as the 7th Marquess.

 Lord Cholmondeley is a descendant of Sir Robert Walpole, Britain's first Prime Minister. A portion of the family's wealth came when his grandfather married Sybil Sassoon, a descendant of the Sassoon and Rothschild families.

He is the Lord Great Chamberlain, a hereditary honor that he will hold through Queen Elizabeth II's reign.   The position passed to the family after the first Marquess of Cholmondeley married Lady Georgiana Charlotte Bertie, daughter of Peregrine Bertie, 3rd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven.  The position had been held by the Dukes of Ancaster and Kesteven.  With the death of Lady Georgiana's brother, Robert, the 4th Duke, who died without issue, the position of Lord Great Chamberlain went into abeyance  The second, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh marquesses have all held this office.

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 The fourth Duke's two sisters, Lady Priscilla and Lady Georgiana, were joint heirs to the position.  The House of Lords declared that Lord Great Chamberlain's office would be shared between the two sisters and their heirs. Lady Priscilla's half share has been split numerous times but Georgiana's line has maintained the full half share due to the direct line of descent in the male line for the marquessate.

Lord Cholmondeley married Sarah Rose Hanbury, daughter of Tim Hanbury and Emma Longman, whose mother, Lady Elizabeth Lambart, daughter of the 10th Earl of Cavan, was one of Princess Elizabeth's bridesmaids.   Rose's sister, Marina is married to the 7th Earl of Durham.

The marriage took place on June 24, 2009, a day after the engagement announcement was made.  The bride was pregnant.  She gave birth prematurely to twin sons, Alexander Hugh George and Oliver Timothy George on October 12, 2009.  As the firstborn son, Alexander bears the courtesy title Earl of Rocksavage,  Oliver, as a younger son of a Marquess, is as Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, not Oliver Lord Cholmondeley.   A younger sister, Lady Iris Marina Aline Cholmondeley was born in March 2016.

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It is incorrect to refer to Rose by her maiden name or as Lady Rose as she is not the daughter of a duke, marquess or an earl.

And the reason that Prince Harry and Lady Cholmondeley were paired at the State Banquet for the King and Queen of Spain in 2017 was due to precedence, nothing more.  As Lord Great Chamberlain,  Lord Cholmondeley has higher precedence than if he were attending as a Marquess in the peerage of the United Kingdom.



Richard Kay, whose job it was to allegedly provide cover for William, wrote in a recent article that "So does all that add up to a close friendship? According to an authoritative family source, the two couples have been to each other’s homes only three times." 

This comment is slightly off-kilter as Lord and Lady Cholmondeley and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are all members of Norfolk's "Turnip Toff's" social circle.   The Marquess and Marchioness were guests at the Duchess of Cambridge's birthday parties at Anmer Hall in January 2017 and 2018. On both occasions, David and Rose joined other party guests for Sunday service with the Queen at Sandringham. Lady Rose is next to her husband in the photograph.

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 Lord and Lady Cholmondeley live at Houghton Hall, which is a few miles from Anmer Hall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's country residence.   Lord Cholmondeley also owns Cholmondeley Castle in Cheshire.

By car, it is a 15-minute drive Houghton to Anmer.

https://www.houghtonhall.com/

http://www.cholmondeleycastle.com/

An update on Countess Olympia's engagement ring

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Noted and respected royal jewels historian Vincent Meylan contacted me about the theft of Countess Olympia von Arco-Zinneberg's engagement ring.  He has excellent sources so I do not doubt his comments

Prince Jean Christophe Napoleon and Countess Olympia von Arco-Zinneberg got engaged in January, He gave her a ring , but contrary to reports including my post (which was based on the original French account),the diamond did not come from Empress Eugenie, but from a historical tiara that belongs to the groom's family.  The diamond does not way 40 carats.

Prince Jean Christophe parked his Mercedes not too far from the Hotel Aubusson, where they were planning the check in during their stay in Paris.

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 Meylan writes that they "carefully locked" the car,  and then entered the hotel to check in.  It took only a few minutes for the thief to break into the car and steal the bag, which included a computer, credit cards and the engagement ring.

The rest of part of the original report is accurate.  The alleged thief did use the credit card at a Sushi restaurant and  at a nearby hotel, where he had checked in for three days. 

Vincent Meylan's article is in the April 19, 2019 issue of Point de Vue.

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/04/olympia-has-her-ring-back.html


https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/04/countess-olympia-von-arco-zinneburgs.html

the Dowager Empress leaves Russia by Coryne Hall

In November 1918 the armistice ended the First World War. The German army now had to evacuate the Crimea, which they had occupied since the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk earlier that year.

King George V was now becoming extremely worried for the safety of his aunt the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna, who was living in the Crimea with her daughters Xenia and Olga, their husbands and children. With the German withdrawal, they would be at the mercy of the approaching Bolsheviks. The King wanted to evacuate them but this was easier said than done because the Dowager Empress did not want to leave Russia.

On 16 November the Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean, Vice Admiral the Hon. Sir Somerset Gough-Calthorpe, was told to consider sending a warship to rescue the Imperial party. The mission was entrusted to Commander C E Turle and Lt Commander Korostovzoff, a White Russian officer. They set out with two destroyers, reaching the Crimea on the evening of 20 November. The following day they had an audience with the Dowager Empress at Harax, an English-style  house belonging to Grand Duke George Michaelovich.

The Dowager Empress refused to leave and in the face of this there was nothing Turle could do.

A few days later he returned with Captain Royds bringing newspapers, cigarettes and an offer of hospitality from King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. The Empress still refused to go and a further visit on 13 December was equally unsuccessful.

But by April 1919 the situation had changed. The French had evacuated the Crimea and the Bolsheviks were closing in. On 6 April the Admiralty warned the Rear Admiral of the Black Sea Fleet to expect imminent orders.

The Imperial family were gathered at Harax when Captain Charles Johnson of HMS Marlborough arrived. He stressed the seriousness of the situation and produced instructions to evacuate the family that very evening. He also brought the Empress an offer of asylum from King George V and a letter from Queen Alexandra, begging her sister to leave while there was still time. After much persuasion she consented to go. On one condition. The British must evacuate the rest of the family, her retainers and the scores of refugees who were in danger from the Bolsheviks.

This gave the officers quite a headache and the Marlborough was hastily rearranged to accommodate many more people than originally planned. Meanwhile, the Romanovs’ servants hastily packed the most valuable possessions for loading at Yalta the following day.

The Dowager Empress, Xenia and her family boarded HMS Marlborough from the secluded Koreiz cove that evening. After dark they sailed for Yalta, where the ship’s guns covered the port as the evacuation continued for another three days. When the rumour spread that the Dowager Empress was leaving panic set in. People abandoned all their possessions and hurried to the waterfront to try and get on the Allied ships.

HMS Marlborough weighed anchor on 11 April 1919. As the Dowager Empress stood silently on deck,  tears streaming down her cheeks, a troopship carrying soldiers of the Imperial Guard on their way to fight the Bolsheviks passed close by. When the men spotted the tiny, black-clad figure of the Dowager Empress, the very symbol of Imperial Russia, standing under the White Ensign with the former Commander-in-Chief Grand Duke Nicholas in his Cossack uniform behind her, they began to sing the Russian Imperial Anthem.

Late that afternoon as the Marlborough moved silently into the Black Sea the Empress stood on deck, watching the coastline until she could see it no more.

As they left the Black Sea and sailed through the Bosphorus, the Empress telegraphed to her sister Alexandra that she was heartbroken.

Coryne Hall is the author of Little Mother of Russia: A Biography of Empress Marie Feodorovna and assisted Princess Olga in the writing of Princess Olga, A Wild and Barefoot Romanov.


Thank you to Coryne for allowing me to post her article here on Royal Musings.  Coryne and I have been good friends for more than 25 years now.

Looking Back at Outside the Hospital pictures

The Duchess of Kent was the first member of the British royal family to give birth in a hospital.  Lord Nicholas Windsor was born at King's College Hospital on July 25, 1970.

The Duke of Kent was not present for the birth as he was commanding a squadron of his regiment, the Royal Scots Greys, in Cyprus.  The Greys were a part of the United Nations forced based on the island.   The Duchess telephoned her husband shortly after giving birth.

The Duke and Duchess of Kent's first two children,  George, Earl of St. Andrews (1962) and Lady Helen Windsor (1964) were born at Coppins.

Only three days after giving birth and still in the hospital, the Duchess of Kent's post-birth engagements were already being scheduled.

It was reported on July 29 that the Duchess and her newborn son were "making excellent progress."

The Times July 28, 1970

July 29, 1970

July 30, 1970

August 1. 1970

The Duchess and her newborn son left King's College Hospital on July 31 and returned to the family home, Coppins, in Iver, Buckinghamshire.

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The Earl of Ulster, the first child of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester was the second royal baby born in a hospital.   The Duchess gave birth on October 24, 1974 at the Lindo Wing, St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington.   Alexander was born two months premature and delivered by cesarean section   The Duchess and in her infant son were said to be in satisfactory condition.  As she had suffered an earlier miscarriage, the Duchess was advised to rest during this pregnancy.  Her last engagement was in April 1974.

Two days after the baby's birth, a statement from the Duke of Gloucester's office noted: He's done as well as he can and his condition is satisfactory, but he is only half way there yet."

On October 28, the Times reported that the Duchess' condition was "excellent" and her son was "showing signs of improvement."

The Duchess of Gloucester, accompanied by her husband, Richard, left St. Mary's Hospital  on November 3.  Alexander remained in the hospital for a few more weeks.   Getty does not have photos of the Duke and Duchess leaving the hospital, but there is a photo in November 4 issue of The Times.

This was the headline in The Times for the soon-to-born Lady Davina Windsor

The Lindo Wing was also the place of birth for the two daughters of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.  Lady Davina was born on November 17, 1977, two days after Princess Anne gave birth to her first child.

Lady Davina's birth made the front page of the Sunday Times (November 20, 1977)

The Duchess of Gloucester and Lady Davina went home to Kensington Palace on November 26.

Lady Rose was born on March 3, 1980.  Mother and daughter were released from St. Mary's on March 8.

Getty does not have any photographs of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester leaving St. Mary's with their children.  Lord Ulster spent some weeks in the hospital before he was released.

Princess Anne's two children, Peter and Zara, were born at the Lindo Wing, on November 15, 1977 and May 15, 1981.  A nurse carried Peter Phillips out of the hospital and handed him to Anne when she was seated in the car.   Anne carried Zara out of the hospital.

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Lord Frederick and Lady Gabriella Windsor were born at the Lindo Wing.  Lord Frederick's birth took place on April 6, 1979.  No announcement in The Times as the newspaper was not published due to a nearly long strike.  Lady Gabriella was born on April 23, 1981. St. George's Day.

[On the day of Gabriella's birth, several members of the Royal Family were attending the funeral of the 2nd Marquess of Cambridge, at St. George's Chapel, Windsor.  Lord Cambridge was George VI's first cousin,  the elder son Prince Adolphus of Teck, later 1st Marquess of Cambridge,  eldest brother of Queen Mary. The Cambridge Marquessate became extinct when the 2nd Marquess died. His younger brother, Lord Frederick, had been killed in action in the Second World War.  Lord Cambridge had only one daughter, Lady Mary Cambridge.]

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The two sons of the Prince and Princess of Wales were born at the Lindo Wing.

The Duke of Cambridge's birth took place on June 21, 1982.  The Duke of Sussex's birth was on September  15, 1984.

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Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie of York were born at the Portland Hospital in London.  The Duchess of York gave birth to Beatrice on August 8, 1988 and Eugenie on March 23, 1990.

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With the exception of the Duchess of Gloucester,  the Duchess of Kent, Princess Michael of Kent, the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of York all returned to royal duties within a month to six weeks of giving birth.  Maternity leave was not  subject of conversation until relatively recently.

The Countess of Wessex suffered an ectopic pregnancy in December 2001.   On November 8, 2003,  the Countess was rushed to Frimley Park Hospital where she gave birth prematurely to a daughter, Lady Louise, having suffered a placental abruption, which lead to a cesarean birth.   Their son, James, who bears the courtesy title Viscount Severn, was born at Frimley Park Hospital on December 17, 2007, also by cesarean.

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's three children: Prince George (July 22, 2013), Princess Charlotte (May 2, 2015) and Prince Louis (April 23, 2018) were born at Lindo Wing. 

Prince Louis and Lady Gabriella were both born on April 23 at the Lindo Wing, thirty six years apart.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announce birth plans

This morning the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have released details about the upcoming birth of their first child.  It is understood that Buckingham Palace will announce when the Duchess is in labor and when she gives birth.

There will be a photo call with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their new baby a few days after the birth. It will take place at Windsor.

Boris tells German President about problems finding a wife

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 April 9, 1929


King Boris III of Bulgaria has expressed his woe of a wife hunt" to German President Paul von Hindenburg today in Berlin, reports the Chicago Tribune. The two men "conferred on the state of the royal princess market."

The President asked the king about his "hunt" for a wife, as reported in the international press.

"My people insist on having a queen, but it is hard to find one," King Boris said.  "That concordant between Pope Pius XI and the Italian government  came at the wrong time for my romance. After they made peace I cannot expect Premier Benito Mussolini to bring pressure on the pope to smooth over the difficulties.  That door is completely closed."

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 The king has made no secret that he and Princess Giovanna, daughter of King Vittorio Emanuele, "hit it off superbly together," but the pope refused to grant a dispensation to allow the marriage. King Boris is Orthodox.  Princess Giovanna is a Roman Catholic.

President von Hindenburg hinted to the king that there are numerous eligible German princesses, but the King, wisely, "evaded the thrust."  He has visited Germany often, but no German princess has "warmed his heart."

There is said to be one "serious candidate:"  Grand Duchess Kira of Russia, who will celebrate her 20th birthday this month.   She is said to be a "lively girl" who has caught the eye of the king.  But it is her family that the king opposes.  She is the daughter of Grand Kirill of Russia, the pretender to the throne of Russia.  The king has qualms about a marriage with Kira due to her father's claims.  She is also the niece of the Dowager Queen Marie of Romania.

King Boris has no desires to be closer to the Romanian royals.

Grand Duchess Kira is Orthodox, however.

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Boris's sister, Nadedja, who is married to Duke Albrecht of Württemberg, has taken an active interest in finding him a wife.  She "remains hot on the job as royal match maker."  The Duchess is said to be keen on Princess Feodora of Denmark, a niece of King Christian X.

Several Greek princess have also made the list as possible brides, most notably, Princesses Margarita and Theodora, the eldest two daughters of Prince and Princess Andrew of Greece, and their cousin, Princess Irene, the second daughter of the late King Constantine.  Her eldest sister, Helen, is the mother of the young King Michael of Roumania, and her eldest brother, King George II, is married to Princess Elisabeth of Romania.

King Boris will remain in Berlin for several more days before returning to Sofia.

Olympia has her ring back

@Marlene A Eilers Koenig

French police have a suspect in the theft of a bag from Prince Jean-Christophe Napoleon's car on April 1.  The bag included a computer, identification cards an engagement ring worth more than one million euros.  The ring, set with seven little bees, each made with cut stones and a larger 40-carat transparent white diamond."  All of the diamonds were once owned by Empress Eugenie, the consort of Napoleon III.

Le Parisien reports that"An individual was placed in the custody of the chiefs of flight, swindle and attempted fraud, and the jewel found."

 "The investigators did a wonderful job. It was a real race against the clock because the thief could get rid of the jewel at any time," said a police spokesman.

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On April 1,  Prince Jean-Christophe and his fiancee, Countess Olympia von Arco-Zinneburg were visiting the Aubusson hotel to meet their parents.  The prince parked his Mercedes GL on a nearby street but did not lock the door.  The bag was on the passenger side.   The prince told the police that he was keeping an eye on the car.

The robbery was discovered after the couple returned to the car.     Prince Jean-Christophe questioned bystanders and then returned to the hotel to see if their CCTV's cameras would provide any information.  Unfortunately, the cameras were not pointed in the area of the car.  The couple then went to the police to report the robbery, mentioning the passports and the identification cards, but not the ring.  The couple returned to the hotel, where they were staying, and learned that one of the stolen cards was used at a sushi restaurant. which was followed by another charge at a nearby hotel.

The customer was described as "classy, northern European type who said he came from Belgium." The police are convinced that they believe that the person who used the credit card was the alleged thief, described as a 30-year-old Egyptian who was known to police,  is now in custody.



https://nationalpost.com/news/world/napoleon-descendant-in-race-to-help-solve-pounds-1m-jewel-theft

Countess Olympia von Arco-Zinneburg's engagement ring is stolen

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The police in Paris are looking for the culprit or culprits who broke into Countess Olympia von und zu Arco-Zinneburg and stole her engagement ring from her car, reports Le Parisian.

Countess Olympia is engaged to marry Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoleon, head of the former imperial house.

The robbery took place on rue Dauphine in the Monnaie district (6th arrondissement) on April 1.

The ring was inside in bag with several bank cards, IDs and a computer, all of which were also stolen.

There is great value to the ring, which features a 40 carat diamond from the tiara of Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III  and is said to be worth more than one million euros.

Countess Olympia and Prince Jean-Christophe became engaged in January.  The prince, who works for an international investment fund in London, was designated the heir to the imperial throne in his grandfather, Louis Napolean's will.

He makes one public appearance a year on May 5 t the ceremony commemorating the death of Emperor Napoleon I.   In a rare interview, Prince Jean-Christophe told Paris Match: "Without living in illusion or in the past, I want to be a man of my time. And above all, I have always wanted to build myself, to prove my merit through work."


http://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/l-epouse-de-l-heritier-de-napoleon-iii-victime-d-un-vol-de-bague-a-paris-05-04-2019-8047248.php

Statement from Grand Ducal Court on Prince Louis' divorce

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From the Grand Ducal Court in Luxembourg


"The divorce between His Royal Highness Prince Louis and Mrs. Tessy Antony was pronounced as of April 4, 2019.

 For the sake of the children, Their Royal Highnesses the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess granted to Mrs. Antony the special favor of adding the name "de Nassau" to her name Antony, so she can carry the names of her children too. She will be called Madame Tessy Antony-de-Nassau from September 2019.

The result of the divorce is that Mrs Antony-de Nassau loses her predicate of Royal Highness as well as its title of Princess of Luxembourg and that it will not be able more to represent the Grand Ducal family.

The Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess wish both of them great success and serenity in their new way of life."



I used Google translate as the statement is in French.

Cecilia McEwen (1937-2019), great-great granddaughter of Princess Feodora of Leiningen

Cecilia McEwen, who died at her home in Scotland on March 30, was a German countess by birth (not princess).  She was born Cecilia Leontine Mary von Weiksersheim in London on October 27, 1937, the only child of HSH Franz Maria Joseph Antonius Benedictus, Prince von Weikersheim (1904-1983) and HSH Princess Irma of Windisch-Graetz (1913-1984). 

 She was a great-great-granddaughter of HSH Princess Feodora of Leiningen, elder half sister of Queen Victoria and HSH Ernst, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg,  Cecilia was a descendant through Feodora's eldest son, Carl (1829-1907) whose marriage in 1861 to Maria Grafwohl was morganatic, He renounced his rights in April 1860.  King Wilhelm II of Württemberg created Maria Baroness von Bronn in 1891.  Her children were Barons and Baronesses von Bronn.

In 1911, Emperor Franz Josef of Austria created Carl as Prince of Weikersheim.  His children were created Count and Countess von Weikersheim.


Carl and Maria had three children: Carl (1862-1925), Viktoria (1863-1946) and Beatrix (1868-1932).  In  1898, Carl married Countess Maria Aloysia Czernin von und zu Chudenitz.  They were the parents of two sons, Carl and Franz, and three daughters.  Carl renounced his rights two days after his father's death, and titles passed to Franz.  (Carl was married twice to commoners and had no issue. He was declared missing in action Russia in February 1945.)

Franz settled in England in the mid-1930s.   The title became extinct on his death at Farringdon, on October 17, 1983.

Princess Irma Christiane Maximiliana Egona Huberto Maria Hugo of Windisch-Graetz was the eldest of four children of Hugo, Prince of Windisch-Graetz, and Princess Leontine of Fürstenberg,  The current Prince of Windisch-Graetz, Mariano Hugo, is her nephew.

Prince Franz and Princess Irma were married in Vienna on October 25, 1936.

Cecilia made her debut in society in 1956 and attended several balls where the Duchess of Kent and her family were the guests of honor.  In November 1958 she was one of the adult bridesmaids at the marriage of Earl of Erne and Camilla Marguerite Roberts.  A year later, she was one of the godparents of Lord and Lady Erne's first child, Lady Cleone Lucinda.


She grew  up in Langton House, Langton Green in Kent and London, where her parents had a home on Egerton Crescent.

Langton House was built in 1811 and was once the family home of Lord Baden-Powell.

Her engagement to Alexander Dundas McEwen, fourth son of  Sir John McEwen, Bt,  was announced on October 27, 1959.  The marriage took place at St. George's Cathedral in Southwark, London.

Here is a link to a photograph from Cecilia's wedding.  I do not have the rights to publish it,.

https://www.shutterstock.com/editorial/image-editorial/cecilia-weikersheim-and-alex-mcewen-after-their-wedding-at-southwark-cathedral-cecilia-is-the-daughter-of-prince-princess-weikersheim-1455094a

Cecilia McEwen was 81 years old.  She is survived by her three children, Sophie (April 8, 1961),  Alexander Francis Charles (June 12, 1962)  Hugo Gabriel (February 28, 1965) and five grandchildren: Thomas, Archie and Maximilian McEwen (sons of Alexander and his wife, Natasha) and Emma and Hector McEwen (children of Hugo and his wife, Monica).   Hugo and his family live in Sweden, where he is a freelance writer for The Daily Telegraph.

Alex and Natasha live at Fowberry Mains Farmhouse, Wooler, Northumberland.

https://www.gapphotos.com/imagedetails.asp?view=natasha-and-alex-mcewen-creators-of-the-garden-at-fowberry-mains-farmhouse-wooler-northumberland-uk-&imageno=389512

Tessy Antony and Prince Louis of Luxembourg: divorced

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 The marriage of Prince Louis of Luxembourg and Tessy Antony was finalized earlier today in London, according to the Press Association.


Tessy gave an exclusive statement to RTL:  "I will keep the name De Nassau and will use it as 'Antony - De Nassau' moving on from here starting September 1st 2019. Until then I have the title.  I am relieved as these were the 3 most difficult years of my life. I hope moving on from here that people will respect me for my merits and not my relationship status. My sons and I are looking forward to our new future the three of us with excitement and great joy.Louis and I are very close when it comes to the children. We remain a wonderful team."

I am not sure the how or why Tessy will have the title until September 1, 2019.

https://today.rtl.lu/life/royals/a/1329955.html

The loss of Tessy's royal status can be found in Grand Duke Henri's September 21, 1995 royal decree.  Article of the decree states: "In the event of separation of bed and board, of divorce or remarriage after spousal death, the titles enjoyed by consorts of the Princes of Our House in accordance with the present decree shall be lost forthwith."

Princess Tessy was present at the hearing where Justice MacDonald "pronounced a decree absolute"  in the Family Division of the High Court.

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The 33-year-old princess had planned to challenge an earlier ruling by the judge for the "division of money and property" but she has since changed her mind.

Prince Louis, 32,  is the third son of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa.  He renounced his rights when he married Tessy in.   She is a former soldier in the Luxembourg Army.  She lives in London where she founded an organization, Professors Without Borders.

The couple's relationship began in 2004.  She became pregnant and on March 12, 2006, she gave birth to the couple's first child, Gabriel Michael Louis Ronny, in Geneva, Switzerland.

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 They were married in a Roman Catholic Church in Gilsdorf, Luxembourg, on September 29, 2006.  It was at this time that Prince Louis renounced the right of succession for himself and his descendants. 

A second son, Noah Etienne Gabriel Matthias Xavier, was born in Luxembourg on September 21, 2007.

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 Tessy and the two sons had the surname de Nassau until June 23, 2009, Luxembourg's National Day, when Grand Duke Henri gave Tessy the titles of Princess of Luxembourg and Princess of Bourbon-Parma and the rank of royal highness,  The two young sons were given titles of Prince of Nassau and the rank of royal highness.

The couple's separation was announced by the Grand Ducal Court on January 18, 2017.

Justice MacDonald declared that Tessy and her two sons will be able to live in the London home she shared with her husband.

Prince Louis will provide Tessy with "nominal" support.  He will also pay £4000 a year per child in support.


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-6886173/UK-judge-ends-marriage-Prince-Louis-Luxembourg-Princess-Tessy.html

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