A handwritten note from the late Prince's brother, HSH Bartolo, Prince of Khevenhüller-Metsch und Aichelberg was included with the death announcement.
http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2020/11/two-noble-deaths-today-prince-of.html
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
HSH Johannes Prince of Khevenhüller-Metsch und Aichelberg
Happy birthday to one of my favorite Princesses
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| Marlene A Eilers Koenig Collection |
Today is the 88th birthday of HRH Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria.
There was "great rejoicing" when Queen Giovanna gave birth to a daughter in Sofia on January 13, 1933. This was the first of two children for Giovanna, the daughter of King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy, and King Boris of Bulgaria.
The Italian Princess married the Bulgarian sovereign at the Basilica of St Francis of Assisi, in Assisi, Italy, on October 25, 1930. King Boris died on August 28, 1943, and was succeeded by his six-year-old son, Simeon.
A referendum on the monarchy was held on September 15, 1947. Soviet troops were present throughout the country reminding Bulgarians that they had little choice but to vote for the communists. Ninety-seven percent voted for the abolition of the monarchy. The following day, Queen Giovanna and her two children went into exile.
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| Marlene A Eilers Koenig collection |
Princess Marie Louise will be celebrating her birthday at her home in New Jersey with her second husband, Bronislaw Chrobok. No doubt there will be birthday messages from her children and grandchildren. The Princess is the mother of four children, Prince Hermann and Prince Boris of Leiningen, the sons of her first marriage to Prince Karl of Leiningen, and Pavel and Alexandra Chrobok, who live in Toronto, New Jersey, San Francisco, and Portugal, respectively.
Have a wonderful birthday!!!!
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| The wedding of Archduke Imre and Archduchess Kathleen, Washington, D.C., September 8, 2012 photo by Marlene A Eilers Koenig |
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2013/12/princess-marie-louise-to-wed.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2013/01/princess-maria-luisa-baptised-in.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2013/03/pope-to-rebuke-boris-and-giovanna.html
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Allied diplomats may not attend Carol's wedding
The Associated Press is reporting that the Allied representatives in Athens are "embarrassed over the question of attending the wedding" of Crown Prince Carol to Princess Helen of Romania should King Constantine "remain unrecognized by the Allies before the wedding.
The date of the marriage has not been fixed, although the king has said it will take place in late January or early February.
Helen is the eldest daughter of King Constantine and Queen Sophie. Her future husband, Crown Prince Carol, is the eldest son of King Ferdinand and Queen Marie of Romania. Queen Sophie and Queen Marie are first cousins.
It is understood that the primary reason for the delay in announcing the date of the wedding is "the desire first to obtain allied recognition for Constantine."
The French minister was quoted as saying that he was waiting for special instructions from his government. If the King is not recognized, the French minister will go to the Romanian Legation on the day of the wedding to meet Queen Marie of Romania who is expected to attend the wedding.
Monday, January 11, 2021
Marie of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
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| Marie and her daughter |
Marie was the eldest of four children. She had one sister, Jutta, and two brothers, Adolf Friedrich, and Karl Borwin. Court life at Neustrelitz was dull and strict.
The two young duchesses "were in the hands of their governesses, who formed a screen between them and their parents." Neither the Hereditary Grand Duke Adolf Friedrich nor his wife, Elisabeth, had an active role in their children's lives. The only door out of the palace was to marry and marry well.
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| Augusta |
The Duchess of York, a first cousin to Marie's father, described Marie as a "nice girl, but oh! so badly dressed, so very German which is scarcely a pretty fashion, " after meeting the young Duchess and her grandmother, the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
The Grand Duchess was the Duchess of York's maternal aunt, Augusta, born Princess Augusta of Cambridge, the second of three children of Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, and his wife, Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel.
The Mecklenburg-Strelitz children were raised with what the late James Pope-Hennessey called the "inflexibility of mind." Court life was very rigid, and "the result was so much stiffness in their surroundings" that Marie and her younger sister, Jutta, were "supervised but not looked after. In 1897, it was "brought to the attention" of the very incredulous Hereditary Grand Duchess Elisabeth that her elder daughter was in the final months of pregnancy. Her duties as the wife of the heir to the grand duchy obviously did not include providing moral guidance and support to her daughters. Marie and Jutta were totally unaware of the facts of life.
One of the very "inflexible rules" at the Grand Ducal Court allowed for footmen, and not the maids, to carry the lights into all the bedrooms, including the young Duchesses' bedrooms. Marie was very naive and probably knew nothing about sex or intimacy. The footman responsible for taking advantage of Marie was a married man named Hecht. After Marie's parents learned what had happened, Hecht was dismissed without receiving a reference. He applied for another job in the area, but when his prospective employers wrote to the Hofmarschallernt for a reference, they were told that Hecht had been dismissed for stealing.
A furious Hecht traveled to Berlin by train, found a lawyer, who happened to be a Social-Democrat, who eagerly released the story to the "eager anti-monarchical press." The scandal was now news throughout the courts of Europe.
Marie's parents had no choice but to give into Hecht's blackmail. He was "pensioned off," and told he must leave Strelitz. Instead, he remained in the small town, hoping to gain further funds from Marie's family.
Queen Victoria wrote Grand Duchess Augusta, that she had heard about Marie's situation from Empress Friedrich. "I believe she has done much harm in writing to all the Courts."Marie's parents showed no concern nor care for her situation, and they kicked her out of the palace.
"It is two awful & shameful & almost sinful to send poor Baby away. I hear fm a reliable source that the family have forbidden that poor unhappy girl's name ever being mentioned ... I think it is too wicked," Queen Victoria wrote.
Young Marie found a champion in her grandmother, Augusta, who believed Marie was innocent. She was convinced that Hecht had terrorized Marie. Queen Victoria thought she may have been drugged by the footman.
After the baby was born -- Augusta made arrangements for the adoption -- Marie and her grandmother traveled to France. Marie's English relations were astonished by how Marie was treated by her own family. The Duchess of York made a very public visit to Augusta and Marie, and every day went out driving with Marie, which was seen to be "a very noble and protective gesture." Mary also advised her young cousin to meet with Queen Victoria, who was staying at Cimiez, where the young girl blurted out her entire story to a very sympathetic queen.
The Prince of Wales also provided emotional support to Marie.
The Prince of Wales also provided emotional support to Marie.
"He has been very kind about it," Mary wrote to her husband, George. She added: "At. A is so grateful to her English family."
"I certainly think the English relations have behaved better & and are more sensible about it. The parents are the worst & ought to be ashamed of themselves," George responded. |
| Elisabeth |
It was in France that the young, impressionable Duchess met Georges Jametel.
According to the Marquise de Fontenoy, Count Jametel was " a good looking man but of plebeian extraction." His father ran a pharmacy "before making a large fortune by the discovery and exploitation of some patent medicine." He managed in "some way to attach himself to the train of Infanta Eulalia," who was very much like her mother, Queen Isabel, and "has the mania for picking up and admitting to her intimacy all sorts of strange people without regard to their status and antecedents, providing they are amusing and presentable."
By all accounts, he was amusing and presentable, as he soon was welcomed by Eulalia into her bed. She also introduced the count to the young Marie, then living under an assumed name at a "seaside resort with a duenna." The Marquise de Fontenoy, always one to rather stretch the story, wrote that the unfortunate young duchess had allowed herself to be compromised "by a foolish indiscretion in which an unscrupulous domestic," who later tried to blackmail the duchess and her family. Marie found herself pregnant, and in 1898, gave birth to a daughter. Her grandmother, the Dowager Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, made arrangements for the child to be adopted.
The "scandal made an immense noise," and Marie couldn't remain in Germany.A royal marriage was also "out of the question." Her family tried to arrange a match with her second cousin, Prince Francis of Teck, but the arrangements fell through. So when Jametel "made an offer for her hand," and managed to win Marie's affections, her family in Germany and in England, after some hesitation, was "eventually countenanced."
Infanta Eulalia was certainly aware of Marie's situation, and she "manifested a good deal of sympathy for her, and knowing the "social aspirations" of her lover and his "craze for association with everything pertaining to royalty," encouraged the marriage.
Jametel was "enchanted with the idea" of becoming the son-in-law of a reigning Grand Duke. With the scandal and the birth of her child Marie became "exceedingly unhappy and broken-spirited, " and she knew that given the scandal "in which her name had become involved would be beyond her reach." She and her parents believed that this marriage was Marie's only option.
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| Marie and Jutta |
The wedding of Duchess Victoria Marie Augusta Louise Caroline Leopoldine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Count Georges Jametel was "solemnized quietly" at St. Elizabeth's Roman Catholic Church in Richmond on June 22. The Duchess and the Count then drove to the "parish church of Kew" where they were married according to the rites of the Church of England. Duchess Marie was raised a Lutheran. Among the guests at the latter ceremony included the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the Hereditary Grand Duke and Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Princess Jutta and Prince Karl Borwin of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the Duchess of Anhalt-Dessau, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke and Duchess of York, Prince and Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, Prince and Princess Edward of Saxe-Weimar, Prince and Princess Adolphus of Teck, Princes Francis and Alexander George of Teck.
The wedding breakfast was given by the Duke of Cambridge at Cambridge Cottage, Kew. Afterward, the newlyweds "left to spend their honeymoon on the Continent." The bride "received numerous presents," including a "handsomely fitted dressing bag" from Queen Victoria and a "diamond aigrette for her hair" from the Princess of Wales.
Jametel soon managed to "offend the kind-hearted Alexandra" through "his letter published in the London Times by the present Archbishop of Westminster," saying that he had been 'forced against his will by the royal relatives' of his wife, to consent to the Anglican marriage at Kew, after having "pledged his word to the archbishop that no Protestant celebration" should follow the Roman Catholic service at Richmond.
The rector at Kew, who had officiated at the wedding declared that the Anglican wedding had been arranged beforehand, and "agreed to by the count," and the "full Anglican marriage service had taken place," with the count's consent.
Marie's English relatives, "who had consented for her sake to honor his marriage with their presence," and were angered by the Count's insinuation that they had "jockeyed him into a Protestant ceremony by deceit and against his will," decided to not "have anything more to do with him."
The Duke of Cambridge died in 1904. Among his many bequests, he left a portrait of is his sister, Augusta, hanging in the drawing-room of his house, to his great-niece, Marie, Countess de Jametel.
After five years of marriage, Marie gave birth to a son, who was named after his father. The married life of "Count Jametel and of his German wife has not been entirely free" from unpleasantness," according to a report by the Marquise de Fontenoy, who added that "all difficulties seem now to have been smoothed away, and the couple are living in apparent happiness" at Villa Marie at St. Germain-en-Laye, on the "outskirts of Paris.
The Marquise de Fontenoy noted that Jametel had not been received at his father-in-law's court nor at the courts on the continent or in Great Britain.
The announcement of Marie's intention to file for divorce was reported on January 31, 1908, in the New York Times and other newspapers, although the New York Times noted that there was no confirmation of the report.
The New York Times noted on February 8, 1908, that "another sensational divorce, involving a reigning German royal house, is soon to come before the courts" when Countess Georges Jametel "will seek her freedom.
Marie and Georges had been living in "a rather humble fashion in the Faubourg St. Germain," on the interest "from the capital of about $200,000" which Marie's father had settled upon her after the wedding.
The grounds for the divorce suit against Jametel "have not been made public," the New York Times noted.
Marie was born on May 8, 1878, at Neustrelitz and died on October 14, 1948, from pneumonia in Oberkassel in Bonn. On August 11, 1914, she married Prince Julius Ernst zur Lippe. The couple had two children together, Princess Elisabeth Caroline, who was born in 1916, and Prince Ernst August (1917-1990.)
If you liked this article
If you liked this article
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Lady Pamela Hicks received the Covid vaccine
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| India Hicks |
Lady Pamela Hicks, 91, received her first Covid vaccination early today near her home in Oxfordshire. Her daughter, India Hicks, share the photo on her Instagram page.
Lady Pamela is the younger daughter of the late Earl and Countess Mountbatten of Burma. She is a descendant of Queen Victoria and a first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Victoria - Alice - Victoria - Louis
Lia acknowledges Paul has fled Romania
In an interview with Antena 3, Lia al Romanei acknowledges that her husband Paul has fled, following his conviction, but she does not know where he is at present.
Paul al Romanei,72, a grandson of King Carol II of Romania, was recently sentenced to three years and four months for complicity and buying influence in the Băneasa Farm case.
The American-born Lia Triff told the reporter: "Prince Paul of Romania considers himself the victim of a political trial. Paul is and has not pleaded guilty. We will use all legal means at our disposal to prove this. Prince Paul of Romania considers himself the victim of a political process. It is inadmissible that his rights should be recognized even now. He did not flee the country following the conviction, but was in Portugal where he opened a succession process."
He fled Portugal following his conviction and was said to be in Italy. An international warrant for his arrest has been issued.
Lia and the couple's 10-year-old son, Carol Ferdinand, could leave their home in Bucharest's Sector 2 as they may be unable to pay the mortgage on their "impressive villa."
Paul al Romaniei (aka Paul Lambrino) is not recognized as a member of the Romanian Royal family.
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
The Ones that Got away
The late Duke of Windsor called them "tea-cup betrothals," a description that referred to the art of royal matchmaking during the early part of the 20th century. It was a natural process for Europe’s sovereigns to spend time together to discuss their children’s marriages. King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians and King Vittorio Emanuele III and Queen Elena of Italy had met several times -- and tea was invariably served -- to consider marital opportunities for their sons and daughters. Crown Prince Umberto was expected to propose marriage, and a dutiful Princess Marie-José would say yes. Theirs was one of the last truly dynastic marriages of the 20th century.
Until the advent of the second world war, royal marriages were largely arranged for political or diplomatic reasons. This attitude toward marriage began to change after World War I, when the imperial thrones of Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Germany collapsed in the fire of revolution. Princes and princesses were still marrying each other, but "mates were often commoners."
Princess Marie-José and Crown Prince Umberto’s marriage in 1930 was one of the rare occasions when the papers got it right. Most of the time, the news accounts of a royal romance would prove to be fiction, and the papers would move onto another royal subject.
Princess Marie-José and Crown Prince Umberto’s marriage in 1930 was one of the rare occasions when the papers got it right. Most of the time, the news accounts of a royal romance would prove to be fiction, and the papers would move onto another royal subject.
One of the world=s most respected and influential newspapers, The New York Times, often published original reports from British and European newspapers. There were a few occasions when the story was true, and engagement announcements would follow. Several engagements were annulled before the wedding day. Some engagements were "impending" or "forthcoming." Most of the time, the courts would "officially deny" such reports, especially if there was little merit to the story. It’s safe to say that little has changed in the media’s coverage of European royalty.
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| Princess Elisabeth (Marlene A. Eilers Koenig Collection) |
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| Elisabeth and Ileana (Marlene A Eilers Koenig Collection) |
A British princess by birth, Queen Marie of Roumania was described by The New York Times as a "veteran matchmaker," who actively sought grand marriages for her children. It was reported in September 1913 that Marie"s two eldest children, Crown Prince Carol and Princess Elisabeth would marry Grand Duchess Olga and Crown Prince George of Greece at "an early date."
But Olga did not want to leave Russia for a foreign marriage. Her parents, Nicholas and Alexandra, both of whom were Marie’s first cousins, did not force the issue, and the Roumanian royal family returned to Bucharest without a bride for Carol.
After a brief marriage to a Roumanian commoner, which was annulled, Carol married Princess Helen of Greece. They were married in March 1921, just one month after Elisabeth had wed Helen’s older brother, the future King George II of the Hellenes. Both marriages had been arranged by Queen Marie, eager to strengthen relations among the Balkan countries. Helen and George were children of Marie’s first cousin, the former Princess Sophie of Prussia. Apart from their impeccable genealogical ties, neither couple had much in common. Both marriages ended in divorce.
The frequent rumours about a marriage between George and Elisabeth proved to be true. The New York Times printed a report from a German newspaper that Kaiser Wilhelm II had "arranged the match" and would act "as a witness" at the marriage. At the time, George was involved in a "flirtation" with his cousin, Countess Zia de Torby. After reading about the engagement in a magazine, she wrote to George for confirmation. "There is not a word of truth in it," he responded. He thought Elisabeth "was awfully nice," and "we got on quite well together, but only as a guest would with his host."
Queen Marie certainly used her "tea-cup" diplomacy to arrange the marriage of her second daughter, Marie, to King Alexander of Yugoslavia. Rumors of this proposed marriage first appeared in 1920, but, at the time, were not considered to be authoritative. King Alexander was described as a man who "has frequently been reported engaged," but was unable to find a bride to share his throne. In 1921, according to a Belgrade dispatch, Alexander had become engaged to Princess Sophie of Orleans, the daughter of the Duke of Vendome. Although "enamored" with Sophie, Alexander, having signed a treaty of alliance with Roumania in the summer of 1921, gave serious consideration to marriage with the young Princess Marie of Roumania. The marriage, which took place in June 1922, was certainly a dazzling achievement for Queen Marie.
[Sophie was mentally handicapped.]
The Queen, having helped put crowns on the heads of her two eldest daughters, now turned her attention to her youngest daughter, Princess Ileana.
Although denied by Queen Marie, Crown Prince Umberto of Italy was reported engaged to Ileana in December 1926. The marriage would take place "within six months if King Ferdinand [Ileana"s father who died in July 1927] lives" or after a decent mourning period. The marriage was allegedly arranged in September 1926 during the Italo-Rumanian convention, where Roumanian received a financial loan from Italy. The Roumanian prime minister is reported to have told friends: "I didn=t get much from Italy, except a throne for a Princess of Roumania."
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| Lexel |
There was not a shred of truth to the story, but Ileana was said to have eloped with a young naval lieutenant, an aide-de-camp to the late King Ferdinand. The rumor arose from the fact that the "two young people are old friends and were recently seen together at a Black Sea resort." In the late 1920s, there were discussions for marriage with Archduke Albrecht of Austria. Several reports suggested that if Archduke Albrecht was elected as King of Hungary, Ileana would become his queen. "Rumors concerning the marriage of the Hungarian Archduke Albrecht with Princess Ileana are daily growing stronger," reported the Hungarian Foreign Minister who met several times with his Roumanian counterpart.
"Winsome and still very youthful," Ileana was "frequently put down as a likely consort for the Prince of Wales." At the age of twenty, she was described as "pretty" and of "her accomplishments it goes without saying are all wonderful," which meant she was eminently suitable. Queen Marie told her American biographer, Mabel Potter Daggett, that she would "not marry Ileana even to a King, unless she loved him, but that princes without thrones for Ileana to sit on, need not apply."
Ileana did not get her crown. In 1930 she was briefly engaged to Count Alexander of Hochberg, son of Marie’s good friend, Princess Daisy of Pless. But Marie ordered the marriage to be called off she learned that Alexander had been involved in a homosexual scandal. A year later, Ileana married Archduke Anton of Austria. According to "court gossip, the engagement was dictated by affection rather than reasons of State." The marriage was actually arranged by Ileana’s brother, King Carol II, who was angry with Ileana for siding with his former wife, Helen. Carol stripped his youngest sister of all her patronages and eagerly searched for a husband for her. After the wedding, she was allowed to visit Roumania for only one month per year, and only with Carol’s permission.
On her wedding day, Ileana "upheld the romantic glamour of royalty, and has been observed by more than one journalist as a pawn in the political game of Central Europe."
Ileana summed up her feelings about marriage in an interview in 1929: "It is not easy for a girl to get married today, even if she is a princess."
It took a great deal of careful diplomacy to achieve his goal, and once the religious obstacles [Boris was Orthodox and Giovanna was Roman Catholic] were largely overcome, the marriage took place in October 1930. The exiled Empress Zita of Austria was reported to be behind the engagement rumors about her son, Otto, and Princess Maria of Italy. In 1930, Zita invited various officials to her home near Parma, to discuss the marriage, which would hinge on Otto. The engagement was believed "certain [to happen] in well-informed court circles," but Otto’s lack of a throne placed a damper on the negotiations, and the plan fell apart. In 1939, Princess Maria married Zita’s younger brother, Prince Luigi of Bourbon-Parma.
Before the Russian Revolution, rumours were rife about marriages for several members of the Imperial Family. A year before the putative engagement between Grand Duchess Olga and Crown Prince Carol, the New York Times reported a "rumor in circulation" that Olga was to marry the third son of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Prince Adalbert of Prussia. The engagement was expected to be announced "during or after the coming meeting between the German and Russian Emperors at Baltishport."
A cousin of Nicholas II, Grand Duke Dimitri was "supposed to have been destined" to marry his second daughter, Tatiana. But in March 1914, Dimitri had apparently "made an offer to renounce his imperial rights" because of his intention to "marry a handsome American girl, Miss Durham, who recently came to St. Petersburg with a party of American friends." This relationship "was aggravated by the fact that the Grand Duke is the prospective husband " of Grand Duchess Tatiana, the Tsar’s second daughter. Dimitri met Alice Durham, a "bewitching beauty of slender figure and delicate manners," at a skating rink. It was "love at first sight," and ever since, Dimitri had been "availing himself of every opportunity to meet her." (In 1926, in exile, Dimitri married an American heiress, Audrey Emery.)
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| Princess Philipp of Thurn und Taxis |
Several actual engagements were broken before the marriages could take place. In 1902, the engagement of Archduchess Maria Annuciata of Austria and Siegfried Duke in Bavaria was "broken by mutual consent." Princess Ila von Thurn und Taxis, 20, left her fiancé, Prince Raphael of Thurn und Taxis, at the altar when she declared she was in love with his brother, Philipp Ernst. The Bishop of Regensburg was ready to perform the service when Ila, in tears, went to see the head of the family, Prince Albert - the father of the groom - to say that she "found it incompatible with the dictates of her conscience to marry Prince Raphael. The princess was credited with "sincere motives springing from a deep religious conviction that it would be wrong to marry Prince Raphael when she really loved Prince Philipp.
They were married later in the year. Prince Raphael wed another Thurn und Taxis cousin in 1932.
Princess Irene of Greece’s two-year engagement to her cousin, Prince Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe was broken in May 1929 "because she found that she would be obliged to live almost permanently in the atmosphere of German monarchist and military society at Potsdam where Prince Christian usually resides." Neither would rush into marriage. In 1937, Christian married his first cousin, Prince Feodora of Denmark. Two years later, the "tall, beautiful, blue-eyed" Princess married Prince Aimone, the Duke of Aosta, a cousin of the Italian king.
When Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Princess Olga of Greece was announced in the spring of 1922, it was hailed as an achievement for their mothers, Queen Alexandrine and Princess Nicholas. The two women conspired for some time to bring their eldest children together. Although nineteen-year-old Olga was delighted by Frederik's attention towards her, she knew very little about him. According to Olga's uncle, Prince Christopher of Greece, "a misunderstanding arose" that led first to a postponement and then to the marriage being called off.
Crown Prince Frederik had a serious drinking problem. At one event, Frederik was so drunk that he had taken the hand of Olga’s sister, Elisabeth, instead of Olga’s, to acknowledge a cheering crowd. That September, Olga gave back his ring, and Frederik said he was glad they parted without bad words." Olga did not mourn for long. A year later, she wed Prince Paul of Yugoslavia.
Although Crown Prince Frederik was "unlucky in his engagement with Princess Olga, his name was linked with Princess Ingrid of Sweden. Rumours of their marriage surfaced in 1928, but all of the stories were said to be "without official confirmation." In January 1935, just weeks before the official announcement was made, Danish court officials "professed to know nothing of the reports." Two months later, "despite denials of rumors of the engagement," the story "reappeared" on front pages of Scandinavian newspapers, There also appeared to be a "corroboration of the story," as Frederik was en route to Stockholm. On April 8, a New York Times headline stated: "Royal Betrothal Now Open Secret.
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| Marlene A. Eilers Koenig Collection |
"Despite official denials, it was learned today from persons closely associated with Scandinavian royalty that the announcement" of Frederik and Ingrid’s engagement was expected after King Gustav V returned from France.
Their marriage took place in Stockholm on May 24, 1935. Although she was among the least attractive of Europe’s eligible royals, Crown Princess Juliana of the Netherlands was considered a major catch. When Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, and her husband, the Earl of Athlone, made a "prominent appearance" at Queen Wilhelmina’s official New Year’s reception in 1922, the New York Times reported "Queen Mary’s Nephew as Next Dutch consort. Visit of Earl of Athlone starts rumors of a marriage of his son to Princess." The couple’s two children, Lady May and Lord Trematon had accompanied their parents to the Netherlands where they stayed with Queen Wilhelmina. The "young children are brought together frequently," but it is possible that the Dutch princess, an only child, was delighted to play with her English cousins.
Juliana was only 11-years-old at the time, and Rupert, 15. Perhaps Alice was given a prominent place at court because she was a British princess who happened to be Queen Wilhelmina. In 1926, after spending five days with the Dutch Royal Family, Prince Nicholas of Roumania made a favorable impression, although, according to Wilhelmina, the "plump, amiable looking" princess was still too young for marriage.
Sweden’s Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf in July 1930 "officially denied an Amsterdam report" of his son, Prince Sigvard’s engagement to Juliana. Yet, two months later, "there are persistent rumors in Holland" that Queen Wilhelmina would, in her address opening Parliament, " will announce Juliana’s engagement" to Prince Sigvard. It did not happen.
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| Marlene A Eilers-Koenig collection |
Prince Charles of Belgium was briefly considered as Juliana’s spouse only because her father, Prince Hendrik, had paid a visit to Brussels. "It was authoritatively denied" that the Prince’s visit was to arrange his daughter’s marriage. When the new Dutch ambassador to Sweden told a reporter in June 1934, "Holland would greet with joy a Swedish prince in the royal family at The Hague," the newspapers jumped on the possibility of a new royal romance between Prince Bertil and Princess Juliana, both of whom were in England at the time. A few months later, "there was a direct official denial" of an engagement between Bertil’s younger brother, Prince Carl Johan of Sweden and Princess Juliana. Within a space of four years, the Dutch Crown Princess was "engaged" to three of the four sons of Crown Prince Gustav Adolf.
An authoritative source" stated in December 1934 that Juliana’s engagement to Grand Duke Friedrich Franz of Mecklenburg-Schwerin would be announced after the New Year. When Prince Karl Viktor of Wied arrived in Holland with his father in April 1936, everyone assumed a "prospective engagement" was forthcoming. On September 8, 1936, "the entire country was elated" when Queen Wilhelmina officially announced Juliana’s engagement to another German, Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld.
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| Marlene A Eilers Koenig collectio |
Was King Leopold III searching for a new wife two years after the death of Queen Astrid in a car accident in 1935? The New York Times reported that a "romance is expected" between the King and 21-year-old Lady Anne Cavendish-Bentinck, a granddaughter of the Duke and Duchess of Portland, who were said to be old friends of the King. In December 1937, Leopold and his mother, Queen Elisabeth, traveled to England to stay with the Portlands at their home, Welbeck Abbey, Lady Anne said to be "tall, attractive and a keen huntswoman." According to Belgian sources, the King wished to remarry "for the sake of Queen Astrid’s three children, " but Lady Anne, who never married, was not destined to be Leopold’s second consort.
A year later, more rumors of a proposed marriage for the King appeared in the paper. King George II of Greece’s visit to Brussels "gave rise to the rumor of a possible marriage" between George’s sister, Irene, and Leopold. A trained nurse, the princess, who had already broken off an engagement with Prince Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe, was, according to a wireless sent to the paper, "of a shy and retiring disposition."
Although reporting has become more sophisticated and intrusive, newspapers and magazines continue to thrive on nuggets of royal romance. The Prince of the Asturias, the heir to the Spanish throne, has been the subject of marital rumors for the past decade. Several Spanish newspapers and magazines were so convinced that he was going to marry Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Parma that they even named the date and place of the wedding. In Denmark, the news of Crown Prince Frederik's romance with Australian Mary Donaldson has thrown the entire country into a frenzy. A report on an "impending announcement" by a TV station in late September led to Danish journalists setting up camp outside the palace in Copenhagen. The reports were dismissed by Crown Prince Frederik’s private secretary, Per Thornit, who said in a statement. "There will be no announcement today or in the near future." He added that the report was "speculation invented by the media.
A shorter version of this article was published in Majesty magazine some years ago.
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Monday, December 28, 2020
Paul remains AWOL
Paul al Romaniei (Paul Lambrino) has been found in Italy, according to Stiri Diaspora, a Romanian newspaper. This has not been confirmed by other sources.
The elder son of the late Carol Lambrino, eldest son of the late King Carol II and his first wife, Zizi Lambrino, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison nearly two weeks ago. Although an international warrant has been issued for his arrest, had not turned himself in or has been located. However, it was learned this afternoon that Paul was in Italy.
He was convicted of illegal business deals with the sale of formerly royal properties including a farm in Băneasa and the Snagov forest. He was not the legal owner of either property.
According to a family friend, Florin Ghiulbengian, Paul "had gone to Portugal where he had opened a succession process. Lia [Paul's wife] spoke to him on the day of the decision but has not spoken since."
He was also asked if Paul will come back and surrender. The response was to the point: "No way."
Paul's wife, Lia, and their young son, Carol Ferdinand, are currently living in an "impressive villa" in Bucharest's Sector 2, but they may be forced to move because of Paul's conviction as they no longer have the money to pay the mortgage.
If Paul is found and extradited to Romania, he will not serve his entire sentence due to his age. He is 72 years old and will serve only a third of his sentence. He claims he was unjustly convicted and plans to sue Romania in the European Court of Human Rights.
Lia says she does not know where her husband is. However, family members say that he may seek political asylum in a European country, perhaps Luxembourg or Liechtenstein, where family members say Paul has been recognized as a member of the Romanian Royal family.
Friday, December 25, 2020
Sunday, December 20, 2020
another QVD
Congratulations to Juliet and Simon on the birth of their second son, Edo. I knew that the baby was due in mid-December.
Victoria - Arthur - Patricia -Alexander - Katharine - Juliet - Edo
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2014/11/engagement-rood-nicolson.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2015/02/queen-approves-marriage-of-cousin-at.html
Hereditary Prince Alexander of Mecklenburg is engaged
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| Both photos: Prince Alexander of Mecklenburg |
The engagement of Hereditary Prince Alexander, the oldest son of the Duke Borwin and Duchess Alice of Mecklenburg and Miss Hande Macit, was announced today.
The Turkish-born Macit is the daughter of Suphi and Cemile (nee Ucar) Macit. She and Prince Alexander live in Rotterdam.
Hande was born on September 16,1992 inTarsus. She and her older brother, Kerem, move to the Netherlands for their education. One of the things they missed most from home was fresh yogurt. After completing her BS in International Business Administration from RSM Erasmus University in 2014, Hande and her brother began plans to start their own business, Luwia Yogurt. They began producing "slowly fermented probiotic yogurt" in 2018, focusing on companies and chefs. Earlier this year, Luwia Yogurt moved into the consumer market.
The milk comes from Rotterdam cows.
The recipe is made from traditional methods, without the use of machines. The siblings adopted the 11,000-year-old technique established by the Luwians, who lived in Anatolia, during the Bronze and Iron ages.
https://www.ambachtenrotterdam.nl/ambachten/yoghurtmakerij-luwia/
Prince Georg Alexander Michael Heinrich Ernst Franz Ferdinand Johannes Marie of Mecklenburg is the second of three children of Duke Georg Borwin Friedrich Franz Karl Stephan Konrad Hubertus Maria of Mecklenburg and Alice Wagner. He was born in Freiburg, Germany, on July 17, 1991.
http://mecklenburg-strelitz.org/2020/12/20/engagement-of-the-hereditary-prince-and-miss-hande-macit/
Saturday, December 19, 2020
The newest QVD
From Maddison May and Olaoluwa Modupe-Ojo:
"Our Prince is Here! He was born 10.33am on Friday 18th December 2020, weighing 7.7"
This is the third child for the couple. They have two adorable daughters, Daphne and Phebe.
Queen Victoria - Alice - Victoria - Louis - Pamela - Edwina - Maddison May - baby boy.
A lovely photo on Maddison's IG account
https://www.instagram.com/maddisonmay.co.uk/
https://www.adoptedthreads.co.uk/accessories/reality-hints-necklaces
Friday, December 18, 2020
Paul Lambrino: A Wanted man
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| Bucharest Police |
Paul Lambrino, who is also known as Paul-Philippe Hohenzollern and Paul al Romanei, remains a wanted man. Al Romaniei is the name used on his Romanian identification card.
Bucharest police have posted the warrant for his arrest on their website.
On Thursday, the grandson of King Carol II was found guilty of numerous charges in the case of the illegal restitution of Băneasa Farm. He was sentenced to three years and four months. This was the final ruling by the Court and cannot be appealed.
Last evening, the police went to Lambrino's Bucharest home to escort him to the Rahova Penitentiary. After a search of the house, the police did not find Lambrino. His wife, Lia, was at home but she refused to provide details of her husband's whereabouts.
Lambrino is believed to be in Portugal. An international arrest warrant has been issued for Paul Lambrino.
Thursday, December 17, 2020
Paul Lambrino has been sentenced to prison.
The Brasov Court of Appeal today sentenced six men, including Paul Lambrino (aka Paul al Romaniei), to prison for their roles in the Băneasa Farm case.
The 73-year-old Lambrino was sentenced to three years and four months for his role in the "illegal restitution" of former royal property including the Băneasa Farm and the Snagov Forest." He was charged, along with businessman Remus Truica and several other businessmen, with influence peddling, money laundering, and bribery. The crimes took place between 2006 and 2013.
Lambrino must also pay back 4 million Euros that he received for the sale of the property that he never owned.
Prosecutors announced in a press release that the property was "claimed without right" by Paul Lambrino.
Earlier this evening, police went to Lambrino's home in Bucharest, but, according to his wife, Lia, he is in Portugal. The police arrived at his house at 8:30 p.m. The American-born Lia Lambrino did not speak to the press.
Bucharest Police are in the process of obtaining a European arrest warrant for Lambrino.
Bucharest police have released a statement regarding Mr. Lambrino. "Regarding the person sentenced to imprisonment, given that he was not found at home, the prosecution procedure begins. The activity of obtaining the European arrest warrant and implicitly of the international pursuit is starting."
Paul-Philippe Lambrino, who calls himself HRH Prince Paul of Romania, was born on August 13, 1948, in Paris. He is the only child of the late Carol Lambrino (1920-2006) and Hélène Henriette Nagavitzine. Carol was the son of King Carol II of Romania and Zizi Lambrino, a Romanian commoner. He was born after Carol and Zizi's marriage was annulled by the Romanian Supreme Court. Thus marriage was never approved and Carol and his descendants were not entitled to royal styles.
Lambrino married Lia Georgia Triff in 1996. They have one son, Carol Ferdinand Lambrino, who was born in 2010.
On Tuesday, Lambrino released a statement that he was starting the process in Lisbon for succession rights, Here is the translation rights (Google) from that release.
On October 6, 2020, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Paul of Romania, accompanied by his distinguished lawyer, Dr. Luis Rolo, was appointed under oath sole bailiff of the entire estate of his grandfather (His Majesty King Carol II of Romania, who died in Estoril in 1953); the rights of succession will be reopened on 21 December 2020 at the Lisbon Tribunal.
"Prince Carol Mircea of Romania (father of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Paul of Romania), won the right to be officially named the firstborn son, head of the Royal Family of Romania and head of the Royal House of Romania with 37.5% of his father's fortune His Majesty King Carol II of Romania; his younger brother, the former king Mihai, was entitled to 37.5% and Princess Elena (born Lupescu) was entitled to 25%. Former King Michael of Romania also acknowledged that his older brother was born out of a legal marriage of Crown Prince Carol, later King Charles II of Romania, to Crown Princess Ioana Valentina of Romania. The Portuguese decision of 1955, after the death of His Majesty King Carol II of Romania in 1953.
His Royal Highness Crown Prince Paul of Romania has accepted this honor of being the sole bailiff of his grandfather's estate and will perform his duties with full respect for the forthcoming decision of the High Court of Portugal. Prince Paul also said he will ensure that all five daughters of former King Michael of Romania, who died in 2017, will be notified and treated equally with 1/5% of the 37.5%, their father's right."
It should be noted that Lambrino is not the Crown Prince of Romania and has no succession rights to the throne. Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Throne, who is the eldest of five daughters of the late King Michael, is the head of the Romanian royal family. Her position is recognized by the Romanian Government.
The same cannot be said for Paul Lambrino, who will soon be behind bars for corruption.
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2015/12/an-update-on-paul-lambrino.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2012/02/romanian-op-ed-why-paul-lambrino-will.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2015/12/prince-paul-of-romania-arrested-for.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2010/01/lia-has-baby-at-60.html
Mail call
It has been a while since the last mall call. Responses were piling up on my desk -- and now I can put the cards into the respective albums.
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| From Count Hans Caspar of Toerring-Jettenbach on the death of his mother, Maria Immaculata, who died September 8, 2020 |
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