Friday, March 18, 2016

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall in Montenegro


As a part of their visit to the Balkans, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are now in Montenegro.  They arrived at the capital, Podgorica, and then traveled to the former royal capital, Cetinje -- the drive must have been breathtaking (and a little scary as Montenegrin roads are not in the best condition - and the two towns are in the mountains.)  Montenegro means Black Mountain.

I had the pleasure to visit Montenegro in May 2013.  I want to go back.  So much to see - and view from the plane of the coast as I flew into Tivat .. superb.

Cetinje was where the Montenegrin royal family lived before going to exile after the country became a part of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (1918).  In 2006, Montenegro declared its independence from Serbia, following a referendum.

The presidential palace - the Blue Palace - was once the home of Crown Prince Danilo of Montenegro, son of King Nikola (1841-1921) and Milena Vukotic, and his wife, Duchess Jutta of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1880-1946)

Duchess Jutta of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Jutta was the younger daughter (and one of four children) of Duke Adolf Friedrich V of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Princess Elisabeth of Anhalt.  She was introduced to the Montenegrin Crown Prince during a visit to Russia, where she stayed with her cousin. Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the daughter of Grand Duke Georg August and his wife, Grand Duchess Catherine Mikhailovna of Russia.

Two of Danilo's sisters, Princesses Militza and Anastasia, were married to two members of the Russian Imperial Family:  Grand Duke Peter and George, Duke of Leuchtenberg.

Jutta and Danilo were married on July 27, 1899, at  Cetinje.  They had no children.

Jutta's paternal grandmother,  Grand Duchess Augusta, was born Princess Augusta of Cambridge, the second of three children of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge and Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel.   Augusta was a first cousin of Queen Victoria.   Her younger sister, Princess Mary Adelaide, was the mother of Queen Mary.   Grand Duchess Augusta and her niece were close and maintained a long correspondence.

When Augusta married her first cousin, Hereditary Grand Duke Friedrich Wilhelm of Mecklenburg-Strelitz at Buckingham Palace in1843,  her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge gave her the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara, which the duchess had been given as a wedding gift when she married Prince Adolphus in 1818.  Augusta gave Jutta the tiara as a wedding gift.  At some point, when Jutta was in exile, she sold the tiara.  It was sold again in May 1981 and was purchased by the Georg, Count of Waldburg zu Zeil.  His wife, Princess Marie Gabriele of Bavaria has worn it several times.

http://cetinje.travel/en/blue-palace/

4 comments:

Cornelius Krissilas said...

Very beautiful pics of the Duchess!Nice to know about the History of the Royal Family of Montenegro!

The Blessed Virgin said...

The present heir to the Kingdom of Montenegro had a web site and was quite public for a few years, at late rather low key.. Wonder if he had the opportunity to meet POW?

Marlene Eilers Koenig said...

Unlikely, as Nikola is not a close relative to Charles - so no real need to meet.

Marlene Eilers Koenig said...

Apparently they did meet

http://www.rtcg.me/vijesti/drustvo/122778/bilo-mi-je-mjesto-s-carlsom-na-cetinju.html