Happy 25th anniversary to Crown Prince Paul and Crown Princess Marie Chantal

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Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and Miss Marie Chantal Miller were married on July 1, 1995, at St. Sophia's Cathedral in Bayswater, London.  A reception at Hampton Court followed.   

The couple met three years earlier at "a party of friends held in New Orleans. " Crown Prince Pavlos said:  "We were seated next to each other at dinner and spent the whole evening together talking and dancing.  I guess you could call it love at first sight."   This comment was made in a Background sheet that was released to the media before the wedding.  It was in response to questions that the couple had been asked in the weeks prior to the wedding.

Marie Chantal's response:  "I was completely enchanted with Pavlos. It was obvious from the beginning that we had many of the same interests."

It was while the couple was on their honeymoon when they were informed that the Greek Orthodox wedding was not a legal ceremony as it was not conducted in English.    After they returned to London,  Pavlos and Marie Chantal were married in a civil ceremony on August 2 at the Kensington & Chelsea Register office.  King Constantine II was the witness.    

The groom's name on the certificate is HRH Crown Prince Pavlos.

just a few images from my collection

Vicky & Fritz

Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, with children, grandchildren & other family members on the occasion of his 75th birthday

Prince Heinrich XXX Reuss and Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen

Vicky 

Fritz

Crown Princess Cecilie

Hereditary Grand Duke Friedrich Franz and his wife Karin.  His mother was Princess Alexandra of Cumberland (Hanover)

Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Hesse, eldest son of Princess Margarete of Prussia, killed in action in 1916

Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark (Princess Christoph of Hesse) c 1932

Princess Feodora, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, half-sister of Queen Victoria

1955  Princess Christa of Prussia, Prince Moritz of Hesse,  Margarita, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg,  Princess Dorothea of Hesse and Princess Beatrix of Hohenlohe-Langenburg,  leaving for the wedding of Princess Maria Pia of Italy and Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia

Mafalda, Princess of Hesse (Nee Italy) with three sons (1937)  Moritz, Otto and Heinrich

Wedding group Grand Duchess Kira of Russia and Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia

Wedding of Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark and Hereditary Grand Duke Georg Donatus of Hesse and by Rhine

Hermann, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1821-1913), second son of Princess Feodora & Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

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Prince Charles of Luxembourg

© Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

The Grand Ducal Family has released new photos of HRH Prince Charles of Luxembourg, the first child of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie.

© Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

© Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

© Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

© Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

© Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

© Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

© Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

© Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

A lovely Father's day portrait

Clarence House released this photo earlier today of TRH The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge.  The photo was taken in December 2019.

Mail Call

In today's mail, the Mass card for HRH Infanta Pilar of Spain, Duchess of Badajoz

Happy 21st anniversary

Today, on June 21, 1999, two royal couples were married. 

At St. George's Chapel. Windsor,  Queen Elizabeth's youngest son, Prince Edward, married his longtime girlfriend, Sophie Rhys-Jones, in the presence of the Royal Family, including several European family members.  One guest was Edward's uncle, HRH Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hanover, whose wife, Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark, was one of Edward's godparents.  She was unable to attend the wedding. 

Princess Sophie was the youngest of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh's four older sisters.

Today, the Earl and Countess of Wessex live at Bagshot Park with their two children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.  The royal couple are full time working royals.

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Onkel Georg Wilhelm's presence at the British royal wedding meant that he could not attend his nephew, HRH Prince Heinrich of Hanover's wedding to Thyra von Westernhagen at St. Andreas-Kirche in Teistungen.

Prince and Prince Heinrich of Hannover live in Göttingen, Germany, where the Prince runs a successful publishing company. Matrix Media.  The new releases include several books about the Hanover royal family.

They have three children: Prince Albert, Princess Eugenia, and Prince Julius. Prince Heinrich is also the father of a son, Oskar Nick, with German cabaret artist, Desiree Nick.  

https://www.matrixmedia-verlag.de/

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Happy 10th anniversary to to Victoria and Daniel

Today is the 10th wedding anniversary of HRH Crown Princess Victoria and HRH Prince Daniel of Sweden.  Their wedding, a true love match, remains my favorite wedding.  The music, the Lutheran service, the bride's obvious emotion (and not afraid to be tactile), the reception, the first dance  ... the overall joy of such a wonderful day.

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Elisabeth Toll, Kungl. Hovstaterna / Elisabeth Toll, The Royal Court of Sweden

Elisabeth Toll, Kungl. Hovstaterna / Elisabeth Toll, The Royal Court of Sweden

Elisabeth Toll, Kungl. Hovstaterna / Elisabeth Toll, The Royal Court of Sweden

Elisabeth Toll, Kungl. Hovstaterna / Elisabeth Toll, The Royal Court of Sweden

Elisabeth Toll, Kungl. Hovstaterna / Elisabeth Toll, The Royal Court of Sweden

Elisabeth Toll, Kungl. Hovstaterna / Elisabeth Toll, The Royal Court of Sweden

Elisabeth Toll, Kungl. Hovstaterna / Elisabeth Toll, The Royal Court of Sweden

Elisabeth Toll, Kungl. Hovstaterna / Elisabeth Toll, The Royal Court of Sweden

Elisabeth Toll, Kungl. Hovstaterna / Elisabeth Toll, The Royal Court of Sweden

Linda Broström Kungl. Hovstaterna / Linda Broström, The Royal Court of Sweden

Linda Broström Kungl. Hovstaterna / Linda Broström, The Royal Court of Sweden

Linda Broström Kungl. Hovstaterna / Linda Broström, The Royal Court of Sweden

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2010/06/first-official-photos-released-to-media.html

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2010/06/menu.html

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2010/06/what-archbishop-said.html

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2010/06/what-victorias-family-wore.html

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2010/06/what-attendants-w2010-06-19ore.html

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2010/06/wedding-cerwedding-ceremonyemony.html

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2010/06/kings-sisters-jewels.html

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2010/06/crown-princess-victorias-gown.html

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2010/06/victorias-flower-arrangements.html

Margaret may wed earl

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 June 18, 1950


The News of the World's gossip columnist states that friends of Princess Margaret, younger daughter of King George VI, believe her engagement to "the scion of a Scottish ducal house," will soon be announced.

One of the "vivacious princess' companions" at Ascot last week, the Earl of Dalkeith, 25, is the heir to the 8th Duke of Buccleuch.  Lord Dalkeith is a nephew of the Duchess of Gloucester, Margaret's aunt by marriage.

The "tall, handsome earl," is heir to 10 ancient Scottish and English titles and 500,000 acres in eight countries.  He has been a frequent escort of the Princess to night clubs and theaters.  Princess Margaret has attended parties at the Duke of Buccleuch's estates.

Mail Call

A lovely thank you from the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.

A lovely Kaulbach, safe in private hands

Another blogger claims that this Kaulbach portrait is missing.  The portrait was painted circa 1893 by Friedrich August von Kaulbach (1850-1920).  This portrait was on display in the dining room at the Edinburgh Palace in Coburg for many years.  Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh purchased the house in 1865 but did not use it as a family residence until 1889.


Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria,  married in 1874 to Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, daughter of Emperor Alexander II.   He and his family lived in Edinburgh Palace (or Villa Edinburgh)   until 1893, when he succeeded his uncle, Ernst II, as Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.  The family moved to Schloss Ehrenburg, the Ducal residence.  Duke Alfred died from throat cancer in 1900.  His widow, Marie, and their unmarried daughter, Princess Beatrice, moved back to the Edinburgh Palace. 

But due to the growing tensions in Coburg, largely due to the family's ties to Great Britain and Russia (although Marie supported Germany in the first world war),  she left the palace and moved to Tegernsee in Bavaria but after the abdication of Wilhelm II and the other German monarchs,  Marie moved to Zurich, Switzerland, where she died in 1920.

They had five children: Hereditary Prince Alfred (1874-1899),  Princess Marie (Queen Marie of Romania) (1875-1938), Victoria Melita (Grand Duchess of Hesse & By Rhine, after divorce, Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna of Russia) (1876-1936), Alexandra (Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg) (1878-1942) and Beatrice (Princess Beatriz of Orleans-Borbon, Duchess of Galliera 1884-1966).

Princess Beatrice, Princess Marie, Princess Alexandra and Princess Victoria Melita
the copyright for this photo belongs to the owner of the painting. It may not be reproduced by anyone.   Thanks,

After the death of Marie, Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1920, the palace was inherited by her third daughter, Alexandra, who sold it in 1937 to Coburg Chamber of Commerce.    In 1945, the palace was confiscated by the American military and used as an American cultural center until 1952, when it was returned to the Chamber of Commerce.

The Kaulbach painting was given to a descendant of the Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and remains in that family.  I have been asked by the owner to not identify where the painting is located except that it is in private hands.   The owner took the photograph and allowed me to publish it on my blog with no other information.  I will respect the wishes of the owner. 

Identification Needed

A friend recently bought this postcard. He needs a little help with identification.  He is nearly sure about  4,5,6,7, 8 & 9 of the ten people, but is not sure about 1,2,3 & 10 (from left to right.)

It's never too late to right a wrong date!!

I had noted in an earlier post about the Duke of Edinburgh's 99th birthday that the date was wrong in the original news report (published June 14, 1921).

I mentioned this to the Times' royal correspondent, Valentine Low, who passed the information on to the paper's Feedback Column.

The Times  June 13, 2019/

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2020/06/philip-celebrates-his-99th-birthday.html

A noble engagement: Hohenberg-Waldstein-Wartenberg

@the family

HH Princess Johanna of Hohenberg and Count Vincenz of Waldstein, Herr of Wartenberg became engaged on March 28.

Johanna Marie Henriette Elisabetha Bona Sophie Antonia is the second of four childre of HH Nikolaus Maximilian Ludwig Antonius Franz Leo Heinrich Josef Maria, Duke of Hohenberg and his wife, Countess Marie Elisabeth of Westphalen zu Fürstenberg.  She was born at Meschede on June 13, 1993.

Count Vincenz Clemens Michael Carl Maria is the youngest of five children of Count Carl Eugen Clemens Josef Maria and Yvonne von Schweickhardt-Gemmingen.  He was born at Vienna on February 14, 1990.

@the family

The bride-to-be is a great-great-granddaughter of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and Sophie, the Duchess of Hohenberg.  The Archduke and his wife were assassinated at Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, an act that was a catalyst for the first world war. 

[Franz Ferdinand - Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg - Georg, Duke of Hohenberg  - Nikolaus, Duke of Hohenberg - Johanna.]

Count Vincenz is  Project Manager | Business Development with  CAG Holding Gesellschaft mbH.  He earned a master's degree in finance and investment at Rotterdam School of Management and a BS in finance and accounting from the Vienna University of Economics.

Princess Johanna has a MA in History/ Business & Management from the University of Glasgow and her IB from the Marymount International School in London.  She is the Communications Officer at ADF International in Vienna.


The wedding will take place on October 2, 2021.

Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich

I have been reorganizing and weeding parts of my collection, when I found a file with Romanov and British royal photographs.  I must have acquired these photos at least 30 years ago and do not remember the reason why I got them.

Bernstorff  1892

Dowager Empress Marie, Grand Duke Michael, Grand Duchess Olga, Grand Duchess Xenia

Bernstorff 1902

Grand Duke Michael 

Grand Duke Michael, Grand Duchess Xenia, Grand Duke George and the Tsarevitch Nicholas (1886)

Grand Duke Michael (1900)