Count Christian af Rosenborg (1942-2013

Celebrating the birth of newborn Prince Christian, 1942  (Marlene A. Eilers Koenig collection)
 

Count Christian Frederik Franz Knud Harald Carl Oluf Gustav Georg Erik af Rosenborg,  youngest child of the late Hereditary Prince Knud and Hereditary Princess Caroline Mathilde of Denmark, died on May 21, 2013 at the Gentofe Hospital in Copenhagen.  He was 70 years old.

He was born at Sorgenfri Palace on October 22, 1942 as His Highness Prince Christian of Denmark.   At the time of his birth, he was fourth in line to the Danish throne after Crown Prince Frederik,  Prince Knud and his elder son, Prince Ingolf.   The Danish succession law was changed in 1953 to allow the inclusion of female heirs.   This law would have a great affect on the lives of Prince Knud and his family.

After the law was changed,  King Frederi IX's three daughters, Margrethe, Benedikte and Anne Marie moved ahead of Knud and his two sons and daughter.  Christian position fell from third to sixth position.

In 1971, he chose to forfeit his dynastic rights when he married without the consent of the King.   Prince Christian was given the title of Count af Rosenborg.  His elder brother, Prince Ingolf, also renounced his rights when he married three years earlier.

Count Christian's bride, was a Danish commoner, Anne-Dorthe Maltoft-Nielsen.  The couple were married on February 27, 1971.
King Frederik did give his private consent to the marriage.

Count Christian is survived by his widow, Countess Anne-Dorthe, three daughters, Countess Josephine, Countess Camilla, and Countess Feodora,  seven grandchildren, and his older sister, HH Princess Elisabeth and older brother, Count Ingolf.

http://kongehuset.dk/Menu/nyheder/he-greve-christian-af-rosenborg-er-afgaet-ved-doden

Hermine back at Doorn

May 21, 1923

Princess Hermine, the second wife of former German Emperor Wilhelm II, returned from Germany to Doorn earlier this evening "with her children, their tutors and governesses, a retinue of German servants and much luggage," reports the New York Times.

Crown Prince Wilhelm met his stepmother at the Amersvoort station, and drove her back to Doorn, where Wilhelm II was waiting on the doorstep.  He greeted his wife with a "large bouquet" and an "affectionate embrace."

Will Ernst August get his duchy?

May 20, 1913

The "semi-official" Berlin newspaper, Lokal-Anzeiger, is reporting that Kaiser Wilhelm II's "principal wedding gift" to his future-son-in-law, Prince Erst August of Hanover, and his bride, Princess Viktoria Luise, will be the duchy of Brunswick.

The German emperor is expected to proclaim Brunswick as an independent duchy with Ernst August and Viktoria Luise as the sovereigns.

The wedding will take place on May 24.

Is Princess Carl pregnant?

May 20, 1903

Happy news for Prince and Princess Carl of Denmark.   The Princess,  youngest daughter of King Edward VII, has suffered a "considerable sorrow," reports the Marquise de Fontenoy.   Princess Maud, who has been married to Prince Carl of Denmark for the past seven years, has not been able to present her husband with an heir.

Although it not yet "officially announced,"  Princess Maud is said to be expecting a child.   Until the "happy event takes place," the princess will remain "quietly at Appleton House, near Sandringham, until the birth.

The Princess has been in delicate health for some time, and "the birth of a child will restore her to complete health.  She is very popular, and known by her nickname, "Harry," within the family circle.

A rathering amusing photo

I took this photo with my iPad as I was walking toward the Apple store in Pentagon City. The store is Pea in a Pod, which specializes in maternity clothing.  (The iPad is fine).

Copyright:  Marlene A. Eilers Koenig

 

Princess of Monaco: not pregnant

May 17, 1963

Marlene A Eilers-Koenig Collection

A spokesman for Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco issued a statement to the media denying reports that the Princess is expecting a third child, according to the Associated Press.

The former American movie star, Grace Kelly, married Prince Rainier III, in April 1956.  They have two young children, Princess Caroline and Prince Albert, the heir apparent.

Royal Marriage: Prussia-Reuss

May 17, 1913

Marlene A. Eilers Koenig collection
 

Princess Viktoria Margarete of Prussia was married today to Prince Heinrich XXXIII Reuss, reports the Associated Press.  The marriage of the only daughter of Prince Friedrich Leopold and Princess Luise Sophie of Prussia was performed at the New Palace in Potsdam.

The ceremonial is the "same as to be employed in Berlin on May 24," when Princess Viktoria Margarete's "friend and comrade," Princess Viktoria Luise, daughter of the Kaiser, marries Prince Ernst August of Cumberland.

The German Empress, Auguste Viktoria, "took charge of the bride's ante-nuptial toilette," and had the honor of placing on the bride's head the "historical princess' crown," which is kept at the imperial treasury, and taken out only for the marriages of Prussian princesses.  

Princess Viktoria Luise will also wear this crown when she marries on May  24.

Princess Viktoria Margarete's mother, Luise Sophie, is the Empress' younger sister.

The grand marshal of the Prussian court, Count August zu Eulenberg performed the civil ceremony.  The royal chaplain, Pastor Ernst Dryander, officiated at the religious wedding, according to the rites of the Lutheran Church. 

The religious wedding took place before a temporarily erected altar in the "celebrated Jasper gallery" in the New Palace.

Kaiser Wilhelm II gave a "short speech" at the wedding breakfast, which followed the ceremony.

Prince Heinrich XXXIII was born at Mauer on July 26, 1879.  He is the second son of Prince Heinrich VII Reuss and Princess Marie Alexandrine of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.   Princess Victoria Margarete was born at Potsdam on April 17, 1890.

Prince Adalbert to marry Olga of Cumberland

May 17, 1913

Marlene A. Eilers Koenig collection

Marlene A. Eilers Koenig collection
 

There are "persistent rumors" of an engagement between Prince Adalbert, third son of Kaiser Wilhelm II and Princess Olga of Cumberland, according to a Berlin dispatch to the Los Angeles Times.

Princess Olga is the daughter of the Duke of Cumberland, whose son, Prince Ernst August will marry the Kaiser's only daughter, Princess Viktoria Luise on May 24.

The feud between the Prussian and Hanoverian royal families was "finally and formally ended at Hamburg" when the Duke and Duchess of Cumberland "cordially welcomed" Kaiser Wilhelm II and Kaiserin Auguste Viktoria.

The Duke of Cumberland and the German Emperor "greeted each other smi9ingly," as both stood on the train station's platform "shaking hands with marked cordiality for nearly a minute."

No titles for Christopher O' Neill

There will be no royal titles for Mr. Christopher O'Neill, who is engaged to marry Princess Madeleine of Sweden.   The British-born O'Neill, who holds dual American and British citizenship, has requested that he not be given the title Prince of Sweden with the rank of royal highness nor that he be styled as Duke of Gastrikland and Hälsingland.  Princess Madeleine is the Duchess of Gastrikland and Hälsingland.

Mr. O'Neill has chosen not to pursue Swedish citizenship.  He also plans to continue his business career.  Members of the Swedish royal family cannot hold positions of responsibility in business. 

American can hold and inherit foreign titles, including royal titles and peerages, with the exception stated in the Constitution:  Clause 8. No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

Since 1932,  foreign titles held by British nationals are not officially recognized.  Thus, if Christopher, as a British citizen, would not have his foreign titles recognized in the United Kingdom.

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/nationalityinstructions/nisec1prosec/titles(foreign)?view=Binary


Today's announcement did not include information about titles for any possible children.  According to the Swedish Act of Succession,  a dynast must have Swedish nationality. 


http://www.kungahuset.se/royalcourt/thewedding/theprincesscouple/mrchristopheroneill.4.4ea495e313c19c119aa58b5.html

More problems for Cristina

It's not over for King Juan Carlos' younger daughter, Infanta Cristina

http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-judge-investigation-spanish-princess-20130516,0,5742719.story

King Albert of the Belgians to abdicate?

Just a rumor.  Belgian magazine Soir is "reporting" that King Albert II will abdicate on July 20, the eve of Belgian's National Day, and Philippe will succeed to the throne on November 15,  King's Day.

Government officials have refused to comment on the oft-discussed topic of the king's abdication.

http://www.7sur7.be/7s7/fr/1530/Tetes-Couronnees/article/detail/1633514/2013/05/15/Philippe-nouveau-Roi-des-Belges-le-15-novembre.dhtml

The State Funeral

“Today we are fulfilling the legacy of King Peter I, who passed to us obligation to protect our country, our faith, our people and our descendants. "

 

This was the statement made earlier today by Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia after the casket containing the remains of his uncle Prince Andrej arrived in Belgrade from the United States.

 

Thus, Prince Andrej, the youngest of the three sons, of King Alexander I and Queen Marie, will be re-interred along with his oldest brother, King Peter II, Peter's wife, Queen Alexandra, and their mother, Queen Marie, following the State Funeral at Oplenac on May 26.

 

This is wonderful news.   There should never have been an exile. The Royal Family did not need to lose their throne, their country, their lives.  They did not steal from the Yugoslav/Serbian people.  Life in exile was neither easy nor comfortable.  No great wealth hidden away in British banks. 

 

I've received a personal invitation to attend the State Funeral, and I accepted.  I leave next week for what will be my third visit to Serbia.  Amazing.  (I will also be spending a few days in Montenegro, staying in Budva, and traveling to Cetinje, the former royal capital.  I also will try to see Villa Milocer, which was Queen Marie's vacation home in Sveti Stefan, not too far from Budva.

 

I will be providing reports here at Royal Musings, as well as on Twitter.  I WILL NOT be providing updates during the actual funeral.  

 

 

Prince Andrej is home

Copyright: HRH Crown Prince Alexander

HRH Prince Andrej returns to Serbia

Belgrade, 15 May 2013 – His Royal Highness Prince Andrej’s casket was met today at the Nikola Tesla airport (Belgrade) by Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander, Crown Princess Katherine, Prince Vladimir and Prince Dimitri, sons of HRH Prince Andrej, Princess Lavinia-Maria, daughter of HRH Prince Andrej with young Luka Austin Prichard (son of HRH Princess Lavinia-Maria) Princess Elizabeth, Prince George and Prince Michael, Ms. India Oxenberg, granddaughter of Princess Elizabeth, Professor Oliver Antic Special Advisor to President of Serbia H.E. Mr. Tomislav Nikolic, government officials and Serbian Orthodox Church representative His Grace Vicar Bishop of Hvosno Atanasije with blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia.

 His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irinej conducted a Memorial Service at the Royal Chapel, where the caskets of HRH Prince Andrej’s brother HM King Peter II, his sister-in-law HM Queen Alexandra and his mother HM Queen Maria, are already in place.

After the service, His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia has said: “This is a holy moment, sad and joyful, when the members of the Royal House are gathering in their homeland, this holy land. By historic injustice, they have left their homeland to live in exile in this world.   Praised the Lord, the human and historic injustice has been rectified now.  They came back to their home, built by their father, something they couldn't have done during their lives. On May 26 they would be buried in Oplenac, and their return has made our nation happy“.

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexander II has said: “Today we are fulfilling the legacy of King Peter I, who passed to us obligation to protect our country, our faith, our people and our descendants.

 Earthly remains of HM King Peter II, HM Queen Maria, HM Queen Alexandra and HRH Prince Andrej have been returned to Serbia, and the historic wound and injustice have been healed. Today, we have witnessed justice and family reunion, of the family that suffered a lot, as same as our society has suffered from injustice. .

 On behalf of the Royal Family that came from the people, I would like to express special gratitude to His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia and Serbian Orthodox Church, H.E. President of Serbia Mr. Tomislav Nikolic, State Committee for transfer of remains of members of Karadjordjevic Family, and to all those who have supported us on this path of historic importance. Serbia has reinstalled its integrity and legitimacy of the state that bravely reaches for the future, with respects of its ancestors, of their freedom and their rights.  

 Karadjordjevic Royal Family is a Serbian family that lives for Serbia, fights for Serbia and loves Serbia!“

 Prof. Dr. Oliver Antic, special advisor to President of Serbia, has said: “They have had a difficult life. Their suffering is our shame, and their pain was felt here, as well. Their only sin was that they were descendents of the Father of Serbia. Prince Andrej had a difficult life, but he preserved his Family name and his heritage with dignity, as all of Karadjordjevic did. Under highest auspices the peopel as a whole has been relieved of the great sin, and this injustice has been rectified. We have more things to do after May 26, and this was just a begining“. 

Following the Church service a reception for state representatives, Members of the Crown Council and Religious dignitaries took place at The Royal Palace.

A State Funeral for their re-interment in the Royal Mausoleum of St George's Chapel in Oplenac will be officiated by His Holiness Patriarch Irinej on Sunday 26 May 2013.

 Note: The removal of HRH Prince Andrej's remains from Nova Gracanica Cemetery in Illinois and subsequent transfer to Serbia was performed in full accordance with the legal procedures and administrative requirements of the State of Illinois United States by three of Prince Andrej's children, namely HRH Prince Dimitri, HRH Princess Lavinia-Marie and HRH Princess Tatiana-Marie, after consultations with Prince Andrej's other heirs.

Prince Vladimir offers his reason why he remains adamant

Proud papa: Prince Andrej holds his infant son, Prince Vladimir (HRH Prince Vladimir)

Several people asked me yesterday why Prince Vladimir had not been included in the family announcement.  According to Prince Vladimir, he had not been informed or included in the decision to bring Prince Andrej back to Serbia. He felt it was not time to bring his father home.  His siblings do not share that view, and are very happy that Prince Andrej is now en route home.

Prince Andrej and Prince Vladimir  (HRH Prince Vladimir)

 

[Prince Andrej committed suicide in May 1990 in California.  He was buried in an Illinois cemetery.]

 

This comes from a recent interview with Prince Vladimir of Serbia, eldest surviving son, of the late Prince Andrej and his second wife, Princess Kira-Melita of Leiningen. The interview was given to a Serbian media outlet earlier this year.   Prince Vladimir was not informed about his siblings' plan to bring Prince Andrej's remains back to Serbia in time for the state funeral.   His brother and sister, Prince Dimitri and Princess Lavinia, and half-sister, Princess Tatiana, were able to have the remains of Prince Andrej removed from the cemetery in Illinois, for return to Serbia. 

 

"Your Royal Highness, the State funeral for the late King Petar II, Queen Marija and Queen Aleksandra has been planned for the 26th of May this year and yet you have not brought the remains of your late father, Kraljevic Andrej back to Serbia to also be buried then. Why is this?
A1) I am afraid that I cannot be brief in answering this question but I will try to keep it as short as possible. Firstly, let me make it quite clear that I too believe that the ultimate resting place for all deceased members of the Karadjordjevic family is in Oplenac but the question is not a matter of "if" but rather a very delicate question of "when", followed by another question, "how"!
I was visiting my father in the United States at the time of his death in 1990. We had spent many hours discussing the Yugoslav situation and also various elements of Serbian history. We also discussed certain morals and beliefs for which my father had fought as a member of the Karadjordjevic Royal Family. Through these talks, my father made it very clear to me as to what sort of a country he would like to return to in relation to the ex-Yugoslavia, now Serbia.
When my father died, on the 07th of May 1990, my half brother Prince Hristofer became the head of the Kraljevic Andrej branch but he too very sadly died in 1994 and this double tragedy has left me as the head of my late father's branch. As head of my branch of the Karadjordjevic family one of my many duties is to protect the memory and integrity of my late father and, to the best of my ability, to fulfil the legacy that he left to me. Part of that legacy has been to do what I can to serve the Serbian people, both as a member of the Karadjordjevic family in my capacity of a prince and more importantly as a Serbian Orthodox Christian member of the Serbian society. Only God can judge if I am fulfilling these duties as part of the legacy to which I refer.
In the 90's, Yugoslavia began once again to bleed and to suffer great pains through the various wars and battles. Despite all the dreams of hundreds of thousands of Serbs across the world, the 5th of October 2000 has not brought us much of the milk and honey which was expected and often promised to the people. Today, in 2013, we still have a country in which masses must fight each and every day to just survive. Indeed, the world is suffering a terrible economic plague but the Serbs are not only suffering as a result of this new catastrophe but are very much still suffering from the ever present fallout of the black war years and subsequent inabilities of various political structures to better their lives since the famous 5th of October 2000!
Added to all these other very real and drastic problems is the personal situation concerning the Karadjordjevic Dynasty. Since our first return in October 1991 and then our ability to live in the land of our forefathers in 2001, virtually nothing has been done by the various political structures to officially verify or legitimise the role of the Karadjordjevic Royal Dynasty. Under the very early signs of a hatching democracy in 2001, we were able to use one of the estates that was stolen from the family by the Tito regime in 1947 but like hundreds of thousands of other Serbs we are still waiting for restitution to see if we are to be given back any of our legitimate inheritance or not. It is not the matter of material value to which I am referring but to the vacuum of our existence in our own fatherland.

Whilst semi-artificial groups, such as Kraljevina Srbija try to support Prince Aleksandar as the rightful king, the family is little more than tolerated within the political power circles and this has very much been the case since the death of Dr. Zoran Djindjic. Please, do not interpret these comments of mine a some sort of pitiful snivelling but take them as concrete fact. The simple truth is that for all the pompous ceremony that some members of the Karadjordjevic try to pass off as a legal Royal position, the Karadjordjevic Royal Family has absolutely no official function in any part of Serbian society what so ever. In fact, our Serbian passports and identity cards list us all as completely normal citizens with Mr. and Mrs. as our titles. It is only the good manners of many individuals and institutions, which give a legitimacy to the "Royal" Karadjordjevic members in the present Republic. As I have said, this is not a point of necessary complaint on my behalf, as ironic as it is, but simply a statement of the way things are.
Now let's come to the point. Who is burying whom and as what?
When King Petar II was announced as being of age, not quite 18 years old, and given the throne of Yugoslavia in 1941, the streets were filled in minutes with a mass of love and support for this young boy king who had to carry the world on his shoulders. Through the political games of chess, which were better known as the Second World War, King Petar II was forced to leave his kingdom behind to suffer the onslaught of the German occupation together with the Nazi Croatian state without their monarch. King Petar II fought almost every day for his countrymen. He had to fight on so many fronts, including the very political ones that should have been his walls of support, that it almost broke him as a man and as a king. King Petar II, together with his brothers, Kraljevic Tomislav and my late father, Kraljevic Andrej and their mother Queen Marija, were forced to live a life akin to a stray animal as a result of the betrayals committed against the king by his allies as well as his enemies. Yet, despite what the Titoist propaganda taught the children of the new Yugoslavia, King Petar II, his brothers and their mother never stopped working for the Yugoslav people, even after suffering the indignation and treachery of having their official royal powers stripped from them illegally in 1947.
Only Kraljevic Tomislav was able to be buried in the Family Crypt at Oplenac at the time of his death in July 2000. He had chosen to do this despite the fact that Milosevic was in many ways very much still in power. Although Patriarch Pavle, together with Vladika Sava of Sumadija buried my uncle with the full honours of a son of a ruling king, the majority of political and mass secular scenes did not even register the death of a member of the Karadjordjevic Dynasty. In other words, although Oplenac was full of royalist well wishers and mourners, the event did not even register on any official scale outside Topola.
So, on the 26th of May this year, 2013, presumably there will be a state funeral for two of the three most important members of the deceased Karadjordjevic family who have been in exile since (1945) 1947. This event should be monumental and it should take place in an atmosphere of spiritual, political and economic stability within Serbia.
The best case scenario would of course be to have this sort of funeral in a new kingdom of Serbia but nobody knows if or when this could be a reality. On the day of the 26th of May there will thankfully be a great number of people who will either attend the funeral or want to attend the funeral. If you are to measure this on the scale of Topola then everyone will be very surprised to see how many supporters for the monarch are in existence. If however you measure this event on the scale of Serbia then it may very well not look all that positive for the popularity or the future of a monarchy and may very well act as another event through which to ask more uncomfortable questions instead of receiving praise for a positive exercise.
As far as I am concerned, nothing realistic has been done to bring the question of a monarchy in Serbia to the people. I do not think that members of the Kraljevina Srbija being seen to shout and scream "long live the king" actually do anything very positive in this respect although I take my hat off to their efforts. A false picture was painted of the members of the Royal Family in exile. We were portrayed as thieves and playboys who had no interest about the suffering of our brothers and sisters in the former Yugoslavia. You may be shocked at how many young people today still believe these stories about the Karadjordjevic Dynasty, which were propagated by the Tito regime. Again, in my humble opinion, nothing has been done to show the people that these were lies. The whole education of the Serbian people about the structure and system of a constitutional monarchy has not been fulfilled since 2001. That is sad. Very sad indeed. Added to this is the all too often negative pictures of certain members of the Royal Family through their acts and behaviour and this also does not help us in any positive manner.
The only members of the exiled Royal Family to have been rehabilitated are those members of Princess Jelisaveta's family. I personally feel, no matter how justified or un-justified, it is imperative for the children of all exiled members of the Royal family who are now deceased to enact a process of rehabilitation to prove through a court that they were illegitimately portrayed as criminals of the state and were in fact true Serbian / Yugoslav Christian members of a whole and honourable Royal Dynasty which has always served it's people.
At the end of all this explanation, I can now give you a very short answer as to why I will not be bringing my late father back for the event on the 26th of May - It is not the time! That is the simple truth and the simple answer. When the suffering of the Serbian people is much more lightened, when the question of Kosovo is answered in the favour of Serbia and her people and when the Karadjordjevic family is given its deserved and full political respect, then it will be time for me, as head of the Kraljevic Andrej branch, to bring my father home where he belongs!

Prince Vladimir responds to news about his father, Prince Andrej

Prince Vladimir and Princess Brigitta, Bucharest, 2011

A statement released by Prince Vladimir of Serbia.

Today, at 08:13 on the 14th of May 2013, I was informed by a friend in Australia that plans had been made and executed behind my back in order to bring back the remains of my late father, Kraljevic Andrej, to Serbia in order to be buried at Oplenac on the 26th of this month.

Although I had made very clear demands, as the head of the Kraljevic Andrej branch of the Karadjordjevic family, that the remains of my late father were to remain in the USA until I, as his eldest son and the one who was with him in the days before his death, saw fit to have them transferred to Oplenac, these demands and instructions have been ignored and violated.

It is a very sad day indeed when the eldest and rightful son of a father, as head of his branch, is betrayed by those in his family that he has loved and served for decades.

I am informing you all of this because I do not want you to think that this latest action had anything to do with me, or that I have changed my mind. I stand by my decision and instructions that I made many months ago and I am sorry that others within the family have chosen to take this course of action.

As I have also stated previously, despite my feelings about this entire affair, I will dutifully attend the ceremony on the 26th in order to pay my heartfelt respects to my uncle, HM the late King Petar II and his wife, my grandmother HM the late Queen Marija and now my father, the late Kraljevic Andrej.