Princess Stephanie vanishes

December 21,  1940

Princess Stephanie of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst, "a friend of Adolf Hitler and reputed Nazi propaganda agent," has disappeared, according to press reports.  She vanished a few hours before "the midnight deadline for her ordered departure" from the United States under a "threat of deportation.

On Tuesday, immigration officials in San Francisco informed the princess that she would not be granted an extension of her six months' visa.  She was ordered to leave the United States by midnight tonight.
Due to her close association with Nazis,  Princess Stephanie's presence in the United States was considered "inimical."  Britain's House of Commons described her as a "notorious member of Hitler's spy organization," and she is alleged to have been "involved in European intrigue for the last 15 years."

As the deadline for her departure grew closer, "no one seemed to know where she was."   Had she left the country already, or was she planning to leave?   The last time immigration authorities saw her was on Tuesday in San Francisco. She was with Capt. Fritz Wiedemann, an aid to Hitler, and Germany's consul at San Francisco.

In a statement to United Press. Captain Fritz Wiedemann said tonight that his "good friend,"  Princess Stephanie of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst has left the United States secretly. 
"I believe you can say she has left.  I am not in a position to say how she left the country, or where she is going."
She was not on board a Japanese liner bound for Yokama, as her name was not on the passenger list.  The sailing of the ship was delayed for twenty minutes as FBI agents boarded to the ship to search for the Princess. 

 
The princess may have gone to Mexico.

The princess arrived in the United States from England on December 22, 1939.  Her visitor's visa was extended once, but a request for another extension was denied in November.

In New York, Stephanie had left a mink coat and ermine cape at a fur refurbishing shop for repair.  The furs remain in the possession of the shop owner, who contends that the princess left  New York last May without paying a $100 hat bill.    The milliner tried to collect the funds through the Princess' account at the Swiss Bank Corporation in San Francisco, but "found her balance to be only $50."

According to the Los Angeles Times, "immigration authorities said the matter is out of their hands" unless Stephanie "overstays her visa and a warrant is issued against her. "  The Justice Department states that "deportation proceedings will be started immediately" if the Princess "fails to leave within the allotted time."

If you want to learn more about Princess Stephanie:

https://royalbooknews.blogspot.com/2011/01/books-about-princess-stephanie-zu.html

Princess Stephanie of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha marries

HH Princess Stephanie of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Mr. Jan Stahl were married earlier today in a civil ceremony at Schloss Friedenstein Gotha.

This is the first marriage for the 46-year-old Princess Stephanie and Mr. Stahl.

The ceremony, conducted by Gotha's mayor, Knut Kreuch, a family friend, took place in the castle's throne room.

His comments to the couple included numerous references to the history of the Ducal family.

Princess Stephanie, the eldest child and only daughter of TH Prince Andreas  and Princess Carin of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, wore a white silk suit from German fashion designer Gordon Sieverding, who is based in Michelau.  Her bouquet featured red, white and yellow roses.

Mr. Stahl wore a tail coat.

After the ceremony, the newlyweds got into a horse drawn carriage for a ride through the castle's sprawling park.   They joined close family and friends for a reception at the Hotel am Schlosspark for a post-wedding lunch.

This was the first royal wedding in Gotha since July 31, 1817, when sixteen-year-old Princess Luise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg-married Duke Ernst III of Saxe-Coburg-Saafeld.  In 1826,  Ernst became Duke Ernst I of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.   The couple had two sons,  Duke Ernst II (1818-1893) and Prince Albert (1819-1861) who married his first cousin, Queen Victoria.  The marriage was not a happy one.  The couple were divorced on March 31, 1826.

Princess Stephanie is a descendant of Victoria and Albert through their eighth of nine children: Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany.   Victoria-Leopold-Carl Eduard-Friedrich Josias -Andreas-Stephanie.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5922789/German-Princess-Stephanie-Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-marries-Jan-Stahl-quirky-ceremony.html

https://www.np-coburg.de/region/oberfranken/laenderspiegel/Stephanie-Prinzessin-von-Sachsen-Coburg-und-Gotha-hat-sich-getraut;art2388,6213234

The engagement of Rudolf and Stephanie

April 1, 1880

The New York Herald reports the betrothal of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and Princess Stephanie has brought great joy to both countries. "Surprise, general and unmitigated surprise," appears to be the general impression in Vienna and Brussels. There is also "unmitigated satisfaction" as the Crown Prince is the second most popular man in the Austrian Empire, after his father, Emperor Franz Joseph. Rudolf,  fluent in several languages, is affable and his "simple manners have won the people's hearts." He has a "taste for natural history," and has written two books. He also attends "with great punctuality to his military duties at Prague."

The Crown Prince has also traveled outside his father's empire. Last year, he went on a shooting holiday in Africa and enjoyed his last visit to England and Ireland, where he became good friends with the British heir to the throne, the Prince of Wales.

The future Archduchess and Crown Princess is "one of the most handsomest Princesses of Europe." Stephanie, one of three daughters of King Leopold II, has an "amiable disposition, and, even for a Princess, exceptionally well-educated."

The princess has been brought up in the "strictest seclusion," and has never made a public appearance, not even at the school children's fete two years ago in honor of the King and Queen's silver wedding.

Stephanie has never been seen on the streets of Brussels, "or enjoyed the envied pleasure" of window shopping. Her only companion has been her ten-year-old sister, Princess Clementine, and her only real recreation is on Sundays when she visits a local convent, where she is "allowed to join in the amusements of the pensionnaires of that aristocratic school."

Now that Princess Stephanie is the fiancee of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, she will have a full public life including state dinners and visits to the opera. Flags will fly in her honor.  With "all the freshness of youth and bright with the first impressions of an unknown world,"  Stephanie will soon be transported to a new life at the Austrian court.

Those who know Her Royal Highness speak of "her grace, her engaging manners, her kindness of heart." She is "fair, with golden hair and blue eyes, and she is slight and rather tall." When her older sister, Louise, married Prince Philipp of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Stephanie "escaped to a corner and was found pouring over the Almanach de Gotha,", to find which Prince would choose her as his wife. Then and there, she decided that the Crown Prince of Austria would be the perfect husband. It appears that her parents -- Queen Marie Henriette was born an Archduchess of Austria -- concurred.

Princess Stephanie turns 16 on May 21.  The wedding could take place later this year or sometime next year.  The wedding ceremony will, however, take place in Vienna, and not in Brussels, as Rudolf is the heir to the throne.

The Austrians are delighted with the match. Rudolf had few choices for a bride. Although it was not against the family law to marry a Protestant princess, it was more likely that Rudolf's bride would come from one of the Catholic ruling houses.

Queen Marie Henriette is one of five children of Archduke Joseph of Austria, Palatine of the Rhine, and his third wife, Duchess Maria Dorothea of Württemberg, who was a Protestant.

Princess Stephanie abandoned by husband

Embed from Getty Images 

 January 12, 1903 

 The Chicago Tribune reports today that Countess Lonyay, formerly the Crown Princess Stephanie of Austria, has been deserted by her husband, Count Lonyay, whom she married in 1900. The count abandoned Stephanie at Mentone, France, on January 7. His present whereabouts are unknown, according to the report. Stephanie's marriage to Lonyay was "bitterly opposed" by her father, King Leopold II, and by her father-in-law, Emperor Franz Josef. Viennese dispatches state that the Count "feels humiliated at being obliged to occupy a position secondary to that of his wife." He also fears "financial ruin in consequence of exorbitant expenditure." 

The countess, on the other hand, says she has proof of her husband's infidelity. Several days ago, the countess apparently told her doctor that, "owing to malaria, her husband was suffering from mental depression." It is believed that the couple will now divorce. 

As the widow of Crown Prince Rudolf, Stephanie received an annual income of $125,000 and an apartment in the imperial palace. She was convinced that the Austrian emperor and her father, would "contribute handsomely" to her maintenance, even after her second marriage. She was to be disappointed because the Emperor would only give her $25,000 a year, and King Leopold, who did not approve of her marriage, chose to stop giving her $10,000 a year. Thus, Stephanie, with only one-fifth of her former income, tried to maintain her household, but has "found the task impossible." 

Stephanie also tried to use her daughter, Archduchess Elisabeth, to influence the emperor. The young Archduchess is said to be a favorite of her grandfather. Stephanie wanted to obtain permission to live in one of the imperial palaces, where she would be "out of the reach of the creditors." Franz Josef granted her the use of a palace at Hetezendorff, near Vienna, but "this privilege expired" when Elisabeth married Prince Otto of Windisch-Graetz on January 3, 1902. 

King Leopold III refuses to recognize Stephanie as his daughter, and would not permit her to attend the funeral of her mother, Queen Marie Henriette. The New York Times reports that the story about Stephanie and her husband was first published in Die Zeit, a Viennese paper, and has since been repeated in other newspapers. But the report adds "that it is difficult to ascertain the exact truth of the statement that the Count de Lonyay has actually left the Countess." It has not been easy for the count since his marriage to Stephanie, due to the differences in their social station. 

 It has been noted that when Stephanie has been paying "Imperial visits," her husband "was compelled to wait in a carriage outside." Disputes and arguments, largely over money, started within the first year of the marriage. The Countess appeared unwilling or unable to "conform herself to the life of a simple countess," after years of "expensive traveling." 

 The Count wanted to settle down in Budapest, where he has an estate, but Stephanie insisted on living in London and maintaining an expensive lifestyle. Further problems arose when the count refused to sell his Hungarian estates in order to continue to maintain his wife's imperial lifestyle. It is believed that the Countess has been able to borrow money from her daughter, Elisabeth, but during a recent visit in December to Elisabeth's home in Prague, Stephanie stayed only an hour, as Elisabeth refused to further help her mother. Elisabeth's husband has apparently interfered with his wife's role as an intermediary between Stephanie and the Emperor. 

The former Austrian Crown Princess is described as "imperious, arrogant, and insanely jealous."

Princess Stephanie of Saxe-Coburg to wed in July

Princess Stephanie of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha will marry Jan Stahl in a civil ceremony at Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha on July 5.  The wedding will take place at noon.


The marriage in Schloss Friedenstein will be the first royal wedding in Gotha for more than 200 years.  The last marriage to take place at the baroque castle was on July 31, 1817, when Princess Luise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg married Duke Ernst I of Saxe-Coburg-Saafeld, the great-great-great-great-grandparents of Princess Stephanie.

Duke Ernst and Princess Luise were the parents of two sons, Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Prince Albert, the consort of Queen Victoria.    Albert and Victoria were first cousins as her mother,  Princess Victoire, was Duke Ernst I's sister.

HH Princess Stephanie Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is the eldest child and only daughter of HH Prince Andreas and his wife, Carin Dabelstein.  She was born at Hamburg on January 31, 1972.  She has two younger brothers,  Hereditary Prince Hubertus, who is married to American Kelly Rondesvedt, and Prince Alexander. 

Princess Stephanie and Jan Stahl, an engineer with BMW, have been a couple for several years.  This will be the first marriage for both, although Mr. Stahl has a son from a previous relationship.    He will celebrate his 50th birthday on September 1

The princess works as a muscle release therapist for horses and dogs and other animals.

http://www.stiftungfriedenstein.de/en

https://www.thueringen24.de/thueringen/article214692749/Royal-Wedding-auf-Gothsch-Echte-Prinzen-Hochzeit-auf-Schloss-Friedenstein.html

Why Princess Caroline is not the Hereditary Princess of Monaco

I've been in a discussion about Princess Caroline of Monaco's official title.  Several "royal watchers" argue she is the Hereditary Princess of Monaco.   I counter argue she is not HSH The Hereditary Princess of Monaco.

One watcher cited Wikipedia as her source.  I've written about royalty for decades now (even before the Internet), and I am a professional librarian -- so I won't accept Wikipedia as the source, especially as a primary source. 

Caroline is first in line, but this does not make her the official Hereditary Princess.  She is not the daughter of the Reigning Prince.  She is the sister, and her succession rights are provisional, based on changes made to the Monegasque constitution in 2002. 

Act 2 of the family law states:  'héritier du Prince régnant qui est le plus proche dans l'ordre successoral résultant desdites dispositions est Prince Héréditaire.   Hereditary Prince.  Not Princess.  The family law does not include references for a female heir to the throne.  Why?  Males take precedence.  What is also important: Caroline is NOT treated as the heir.  She has no official duties representing the Prince.

Prior to this change, the succession in Monaco was limited to the children of the reigning Sovereign Prince.   The Sovereign Prince also had the right, when he reached the age of 50, to adopt an heir.    Under the old law, when Rainier died, Caroline and Stephanie and their descendants ceased to be heirs, but Albert, when reached his 50th birthday, was permitted to adopt an heir.  It was largely assumed that Albert would have adopted his nephew Andrea Casiraghi as his heir.

But the constitution was changed, and siblings and their descendants of the Sovereign Prince remained in the line of succession until the succession of the Sovereign Prince's direct heir.    This applied to legitimate and legitimated children, which is why Princess Stephanie's youngest daughter, Camille, does not have succession rights.  Stephanie never married Camille's father.   Andrea Casiraghi's only son, Sacha, won't become a dynast until Andrea marries Tatiana Santo Domingo.

Thus, if Albert has a child, who succeeds him, Caroline and Stephanie and their descendants lose their rights to succeed.  Thus, Caroline has provisional succession rights during her brother's lifetime.   Should Albert not have legitimate issue, the succession will pass to Caroline and then her eldest son.  At this time, however,  Andrea is not a member of the Princely family although he has dynastic rights.  If Caroline succeeds her brother,  Stephanie and her legitimate descendants will remain in line until the succession of Andrea's eldest son.

This can be avoided only if Charlene gives birth to an heir.

Monaco's succession is not gender equal, but male primogeniture.   Neither the Constitution nor the House Laws, which were also amended in 2002, refer to a female Sovereign or a female heir.  The laws refer to a male heir, apparent or presumptive.  Siblings are rarely officially styled as the heir because there is a the presumption that the Sovereign could have a direct heir.   Caroline is not a direct heir.  Her brother is married to a woman who is of child bearing age.

http://www.monaco-consulate.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Constitution.pdf

http://cloud.gouv.mc/dataweb/JourMon.nsf/966e69337756d51ac12568c40037f872/377a52c45b08835ec1256bd4004e7837!OpenDocument

Princess Caroline, who is estranged from her third husband, HRH Prince Ernst August of Hanover, lives in Monaco.  She is not treated as the official heir.  Take a look at the official site for the Princely House:  http://www.palais.mc/monaco/palais-princier/english/homepage.1969.html

Caroline is styled as HRH The Princess of Hanover or SAR Le Princesse de Hanovre.  Her stationary and official missives describe her as the Princess of Hanover.  There is nothing on the official site for the Princely family that describes her as the Hereditary Princess.   Caroline's official biography does not refer to her as the heiress presumptive or the Hereditary Princess. 

Prince Albert remains the Marquis de Baux because he has no male heir.  A distaff heir cannot be the Marquis de Baux.   If Caroline dies before Albert,  Andrea could be the presumptive Hereditary Prince because he is a male. 

I absolutely think that if Caroline were officially the Hereditary Princess of Monaco, she would be styled as such.  The title would certainly trump Princess of Hanover as Hanover no longer exist as a sovereign state.  Caroline would certainly revel in her position as her brother's heir, but if Charlene gives birth,  Caroline loses that position as her own succession rights -- and the rights of her children -- are provisional.

If Charlene has a child, that child will become the heir, and when that heir succeeds,  Caroline and Stephanie and their descendants cease to be heirs.    If Albert has a daughter and then three sons,  the three sons move ahead of the daughter, unless the Constitution and House laws are changed to allow for the succession of the eldest child.  Until then, the Sovereign and the heir are presumed to be male, which is primary reason why Caroline is not the Hereditary Princess of Monaco.  


The majority of Europe's monarchies now have gender equal succession.  Liechtenstein remains semi-Salic.  Spain and Monaco are both male primogeniture. 

The House Laws, the Constitution, the official site or Wikipedia? 

Princess Stephanie is dead, reports Belgian radio

Embed from Getty Images

September 8, 1945

Brussels radio reported tonight that Princess Stephanie, daughter of King Leopold II, died a few days ago in Hungary, states the Associated Press.   She was 81 years old. 

She was the widow of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, "whose murder or suicide while with the Baroness Vetsera in his hunting lodge at Mayerling, provided a scandal in royal circles" that has "seldom been equaled.     The events at Mayerling took place in January 1889.  

In 1900,  Stephanie married Count Elemer Lonyay, the "younger son of an unimportant Magyar family."  He became an invalid in 1908.    Another misfortune befell the former Archduchess Stephanie in 1924 when her only daughter, Archduchess Elisabeth, was divorced by her husband, Prince Otto of Windisch-Graetz, "after a lawsuit that revealed Elisabeth's exceedingly scandalous conduct."

For some years,  Princess Stephanie, who was known as Countess Lonyay, had been living in Hungary in "semi-retirement."

Embed from Getty Images 

In 1935, Stephanie published her memoirs in which she said that her husband and the teenage baroness had died "in a suicide pact.   She wrote that her husband, the only son and heir of Emperor Franz Joseph, "had associated with many women, plotted political moves, and had threatened suicide."

"He didn't want to die alone," she wrote, "and Vetsera loved him so blindly she went with him." 

Her memoirs were soon censored in Austria, and the book's distribution was banned.  Austrian monarchists feared "the story reflected on the Habsburg family, whose restoration they were seeking.

Archduke Rudolf and Princess Stephanie were married in 1881.

I was to Be Empress was published in 1937.

Princess Stephanie of Windisch Graetz (1939-2019)

Private collection

HSH Princess Stéphanie Marie Eva of Windisch-Graetz died on July 12 at St. Pierre Hospital in Brussels.  She was 79 year old.

Stéphanie was born at Brussels on July 17, 1939, the elder of two children of  Prince Franz Josef of Windisch-Graetz (1904-1981) and Countess Ghislaine d'Arschot Schoonhaven (1912-1997).

She was the granddaughter of Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria (1883-1963) and Prince Otto of Windisch-Graetz (1873-1952.)  This marriage was dissolved by divorce in 1948 and Erzi, as she was known to her family, married Austrian  Socialist politician Leopold Petznek shortly after her divorce.  Due to her left wing leanings, Erzi was known as the Red Archduchess.

Thus, Stephanie was a great-granddaughter of Archduke Rudolf and Princess Stephanie of Belgium and a great-great-granddaughter of Emperor Franz Josef of Austria and King Leopold II of the Belgians.

Her engagement to Dermot Blundell-Hollinshead-Blundell, a Captain in the Grenadier Guards (1935-2009), was announced on October 3, 1966. They were married in London on February 16, 1967 and were divorced in 1973.

(Dermot married for a second time to Sally Leigh (nee Creer) on March 11, 1976).

Princess Stéphanie is survived by her two sons,  Henry Blundell-Hollinshead-Blundell (and his wife, Lisa Abadjian) and Alexander Windisch-Graetz (and his wife, Ann Charlotte Le Sellier de Chezelles), five grandchildren, Eléonore and Bryan Blundell-Hollinshead-Blundell and Elisabeth-Marie, Otto and Hermine Windisch-Graetz.

In 2011, Alexander  changed his surname to Windisch-Graetz.

Princess Stephanie was a gifted photographer who often shot her portraits using candle light.

https://www.lalibre.be/lifestyle/people/cousine-d-albert-ii-la-princesse-stephanie-de-windisch-graetz-est-decedee-5d2b79b6f20d5a58a82b7d27


https://www.google.com/search?q=princesse+stephanie+de+windisch+graetz&sa=N&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS659US659&biw=942&bih=891&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=R3orWNiajdM4aM%253A%252CzBMHweT9p1SJeM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kTlCjjOuE8IEdE__DnE0-NdazEWmQ&ved=2ahUKEwiTq4OLx7fjAhVYaM0KHfWmAQ84ChD1ATABegQIBhAG#imgrc=wcKt_jv_xw2RzM:&vet=1

Princess Marie Caroline of Liechtenstein marries Leopoldo Maduro Vollmer

Gustavo Maduro Vollmer, Emilia Maduro Vollmer, Alfredo Maduro Vollmer, Sofia Maduro Vollmer, Francisco Maduro Galindo, Ricardo Maduro Vollmer, Sofia Vollmer Maduro, Leopoldo Maduro Vollmer, HSH Princess Marie Caroline of Liechtenstein, HSH The Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein, HSH The Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein, HSH Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein, HSH Prince Wenceslas of Liechtenstein, HSH Prince Georg of Liechtenstein (Source: Princely House/Iconoclash Photography - Teresa Mareni & Daniel Bachler)

HSH Princess Marie Caroline of Liechtenstein and Leopoldo Maduro Vollmer were united in marriage today in St Florin Cathedral in Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

The Princess, 28, is the second child and only daughter of Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein.  As Salic law - males only - is the basis for Liechtenstein's succession, Marie Caroline has no rights to the throne.  Her 34-year-old husband, known as Leo, is an investment banker in London.  He is the son of Francisco and Sofia Maduro Vollmer.

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2024/10/princess-marie-caroline-of.html

This was the first marriage of a daughter of a Sovereign Prince since 1999, when Princess Tatjana, daughter of Hans-Adam II, married Philipp von Lattorf.  Eleven years earlier,  Tatjana's aunt, Princess Nora, the only daughter of the late Prince Franz Josef II, married  Vicente Sartorius y Cabeza de Vaca, 4th Marquess of Mariño, as his second wife.

Marlene A Eilers Koenig Collection

Marie Caroline's wedding was a private event.  The princely family's press office released minimal details about the ceremony, reception, or who designed the bride's gown.   This was not a state occasion, although Liechtenstein government officials were invited to the ceremony.  The majority of guests were family and friends.

(Source: Princely House/Iconoclash Photography - Teresa Mareni & Daniel Bachler)

(Source: Princely House/Iconoclash Photography - Teresa Mareni & Daniel Bachler)

    
    

(Source: Princely House/Iconoclash Photography - Teresa Mareni & Daniel Bachler)

Prince Sebastian of Luxembourg and Princess Luisa Maria of Belgium were the only two members of reigning royal families to attend the wedding.

The guests included The Prince of Liechtenstein, the Hereditary Prince and Princess with their three sons, Princes Johann Wenzel, Nikolaus and Wenzel,  Prince Nikolaus and Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein, Princess Anunciata of Liechtenstein and Emanuele Musni, Princess Marie-Astrid of Liechtenstein and her husband Ralph Worthington, Prince and Prince Josef-Emmanuel of Liechtenstein, Princess Tatiana of Liechtenstein with her husband, Philipp von Lattorf and their children, including their eldest son Lukas and his fiancee, Countess Marie von Wilczek,  Princess Marie of Liechtenstein (widow of Prince Constantin) and her children,  Duke Philipp of Württemberg (former brother-in-law of the Hereditary Princess) with his sister, Mathilde, Princess of Waldburg zu Zeil,  Prince and Princess Philipp of Liechtenstein, Princess Maria-Pia of Liechtenstein and her husband, Max Kothbauer, Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria withwith her husband, Daniel Terberger and two children, Prince and Princess Alexander of Liechtenstein,  Promce Wenzelaus of Liechtenstein, Prince and Princess Rudolf of Liechtenstein,  Prince Max and Princess Angela of Liechtenstein and their son, Prince Alfonso, Prince and Princess Stefan of Liechtenstein, Prince and Princess Michael of Liechtenstein,  Count Nikolaus of Königsegg-Aulendorf, Hereditary Count Philipp of Königsegg-Aulendorf, Archduke Alexnder of Austria, the Prince and Princess of Waldburg-Wolfsegg, Archduke Simeon and Archduchess Maria of Austria,  the Duke and Duchess of Noto,  the Duchess of Mediniceli and her husband, Maxime Corneille Iribarren, Prince Henri and Princess Gabriela of Bourbon-Parma, Prince Amaury of Bourbon-Parma,  Duke Max and Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria (the bride's maternal grandparents), the Duke of Bavaria and his partner, Thomas Greinwald,  Count Maximilian & Countess Marie Valerie zu Königsegg-Aulendorf, Countess Maria Beatrix of Arco-Zinneburg,  Princess Nora of Liechtenstein and her daughter, Doña Teresa Sartorius,  Duke Carl Theodor of Württemberg,  Countess Marie-Charlotte of Waldburg-Zeil,  Prince Paul Clemens of Sachsen-Gessaphe, Georg and Stephanie von Khevenhüller-Metsch,  Maximilian and Sophie d'Andigne.the Prince and Princess of Quadt, Count Maximilian and Countess Marie von Schaffgotsch, Duchess Marie Caroline in Bavaria (former wife of Duke Philipp of Württemberg) and Rikolt von Gagern and her children, Duchess Anna of Bavaria, her children and her husband, Andreas von Maltzan, Prince and Princess Karl of Auersperg-Breunner, and Count Franz Clemens and Countess Stephanie of Waldburg-Zeil-Hohenems and their daughter, Countess Leonie and her husband, Count Caspar Matuschka, and Princess Christina of Hohenlohe-Ohringen with her husband, Jan-Gisbert Schultze,  Princess Barbara of Yugoslavia (nee Liechtenstein, Count Ferdinand and Countess Marie von und zu Trauttmansdorff,Prince Friedrich zu Fürstenbergm the Prince and Princess of Waldburg zu -Wolfsegg und Waldsee and their son, Count Leonardo, Princess Cecilia von der Leyen, Countesses Annemarie and Laura Henckel von Donnersmarck, Count Konstantin von Bismarck-Schönhausen.

The bride and groom's witnesses were HRH Prince Wenceslas of Nassau, HRH  Duchess Pauline of Württemberg, Constantin du Boisbaudry, Countess Giorgiana of Arco-Zinneberg, Tarek Abdel Ghaffer Plaza, Countess Livia von Wilczek, Jose Manuel Artiles, and Fiona Feichtinger.

The three-year-old daughter of Princess Marie Astrid of Liechtenstein, Althaea Worthington, was one of the flower girls at the wedding. The other flower children were Olympia d’Andigne, Paloma Plaza, Princess Victoria of Bourbon-Parma and Fernando Vollmer.

Princely House/Iconoclash Photography - Teresa Mareni & Daniel Bachler

https://www.regierung.li/medienportal-medium/16183/233839/0/detail

After the wedding, a reception was held at Schloss Valduz, hosted by the bride's parents.

Princess Marie Caroline, who works in the fashion industry in London, wore the Habsburg Fringe tiara. See below the link to more information about this tiara.

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https://www.thecourtjeweller.com/2025/08/an-imperial-diamond-tiara-for-a-princess-bride-in-liechtenstein.html#more-65403

Princess Stephanie loses her jewels

December 1, 1921

Princess Stephanie  of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst  was the victim of a Parisian jewel thief this evening, according to a special cable to the New York Times.  The Princess, who recently arrived from Vienna, went to her bank this morning and took out "half a million francs' worth of jewels," which she planned to wear at a "soirée this evening."   

She put the jewels in her handbag and then went to lunch at the Boulevard restaurant.  After lunch, she went shopping at one of Paris' large department stores.  While she was shopping, "a stranger bumped up against her and shortly afterward she noticed her bag was gone.

The princess lost her jewels and all the contents in the bag including 4,000 French francs and £200.  It is believed that the thief followed Princess Stephanie from the bank, and waited for a "favorable moment to snatch the bag from her."

Unfortunately, Princess Stephanie was unable to give police "any description of the man who bumped against her."

Monaco's succession law

Until 2002, Monaco's succession law was not entirely based on male primogeniture. The succession is defined in Article 10 in Monaco's Constitution, which limited the succession to the reigning Prince's descendants. This law excluded collateral lines, including Prince Rainier's older sister, Princess Antoinette, and her children. The Sovereign Prince was also permitted to adopt an heir, after he reached the age of 50. This was done in order for Rainier's mother, Charlotte, who was the illegitimate daughter of Prince Louis
Prince Louis, who was the son of Prince Albert, did not have any legitimate issue. But because there was a fear that Monaco could fall into German hands -- the next possible heir was the Duke of Urach -- legislation was effected to allow Louis to adopt Charlotte so she and her descendants could have succession rights.
Charlotte was declared heir apparent after her father succeeded to the throne in 1922. In 1944, she ceded her rights to her son Rainier.
Prince Rainier and his wife, the American movie star, Grace Kelly, were the parents of three children, Caroline, Albert and Stephanie. Under the old succession law, Caroline and Stephanie and their legitimate descendants, had succession rights only during their father's lifetime. Succession was limited to the direct or adopted heirs.
The new Constitution of 2002 amended Article 10. The clause about adoption was removed, and succession to the throne is now male primogeniture and limited to the Sovereign Prince and his siblings and their descendants. If the Sovereign Prince dies without legitimate heirs, the throne will pass to the descendants of his siblings. Thus, when Albert II dies, his sisters and their legitimate (or legitimated) descendants remain can inherit.
Prince Albert's two natural children, Jazmin Grimaldi, and Alexandre Costa, have no rights to the throne. Princess Antoinette and her descendants are also now excluded from the succession but the Constitution does include a clause that would allow for a Prince to be named from a descendant of a previous Sovereign Prince.
The current line of succession: Princess Caroline, Andrea, Pierre and Charlotte Casiraghi, Princess Alexandra of Hanover, Princess Stephanie and her two older children. Louis and Pauline Ducret. The two children were born before Stephanie married their father, Daniel, but were legitimated at the time of the marriage. Her youngest daughter, Camille, is not eligible for the throne because she is illegitimate.
Heirs must be born Monegasque citizens in order to succeed, but being Roman Catholic is not a requirement. Princess Alexandra of Hanover is Lutheran.
Should Caroline succeed her brother, her children and her sister and her sister's children remain eligible. But if Caroline dies before her brother, and Andrea succeeds Albert, Princess Stephanie and her descendants cease to be heirs. The succession will be limited to Andrea and his siblings and their eligible descendants.

Stephanie faces arrest because she won't leave USA

January 13, 1941

Princess Stephanie zu Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst has been served a deportation warrant from the Justice Department today.  The warrant was served in Palo Alto, California, according to the AP.

In December 1939. the princess entered the United States on a Hungarian passport.  She was granted one extension of her visitor's visa, but a second extension was denied.  She had agreed to leave the United States last Saturday, but on January 6, she notified immigration officials "that she was suffering from a nervous condition and was unable to travel."

Two officials from the  United States public health service visited the princess and certified that she was "suffering from 'hysteria,' and was too ill to travel."  

 
The Justice Department determined that Stephanie's own doctor told immigration officials that the princess had obtained and was taking sedatives "which had not been prescribed, and this was largely responsible for her physical and medical condition."  he added that she "would continue in that condition" as long as "continues to take the sedatives."

Princess Stephanie will be arraigned on Friday at the immigration office in San Francisco.  Bail was set  $25,000,

The Princess released a statement through her attorney, saying that she was anti-Nazi, pro-British and pro-American."  

 
When informed of her statement that she was pro-British, a spokesman for the British consulate in San Francisco said:  "We are not aware that the Princess has paid us any diplomatic or social calls, nor has she in any way expressed a desire to help our cause."

A spokesman for the German consulate said that the Princess had been merely a guest of Fritz Wiedemann, the German Consul General in San Francisco, but he had not seen her since December 26.

"The Princess is a subject of Hungary.  She is not a German national, and this office is not concerned."

Stephanie zu Hohenlohe arrested by immigration

March 8, 1941

Princess Stephanie of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst, "friend of Adolf Hitler and reputed Nazu propaganda agent," was arrested today by immigration officials at her apartment in San Francisco, reports the Chicago Daily Tribune.

The princess' attorney, Joseph Bullock, said she was "hysterical and had to be half carried."  She had remained in seclusion after the United States government "ordered her deported because of her failure to leave the country" after her temporary visitor's permit had expired.   The princess and her 25-year-old son, Franz, were in the apartment when the immigration officials arrived.   Franz told reporters that he did not know "the reason for the action" or where his mother was taken.  He supposes that she was taken to a hospital.

Authorities have not revealed the reason for the arrest, although the orders for the arrest came from "telegraphic instructions from Washington."   Her attorney protested the arrest, stating it was "Saturday and no courts were available to obtain the princess' liberty on habeas corpus," and he was informed that "the government at Washington must have known it was Saturday."  Bullock also noted that Princess Stephanie has been under a $25,000 bail.
Bullock said he had been trying, without success to find a country that would issue a visa to the Princess.  She traveled to the United States on a Hungarian passport.

For some time now, the Justice Department has been trying to find ways to carry out "deportation warrants against persons whose native countries either have lost their freedom of action" or have refused to accept their citizens from the United States.

The Associated Press is reporting that Princess Stephanie was arrested today at her Palo Alto apartment and taken to the "hospital wing of the immigration detention center."

Alvar Count d'Alcantara de Querrieu (1935-2019)

Alvar Etienne, Count d'Alcantara de Querrieu was born at Uccle, Belgium on January 30, 1935, the son of Pierre, Count d'Alcantara de Querrieu (1907-1944) and HSH Princess Stephanie of Windisch-Graetz (1909-2005), who was the daughter of HI & RH Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria and HSH Prince Otto of Windisch-Graetz. 

Alvar was a great-grandson of Archduke Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, and Princess Stephanie of Belgium, and a a great-great-grandson of Emperor Franz Josef of Austria and King Leopold II of the Belgians.

Although the family name is Spanish in origin, the family has been members of the Belgian nobility since 1842.  A decade later, the head of the family received the title Count.

Alvar succeeded to the title when he was nine years old as his father, a member of the Belgian resistance, died in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

He was married twice. His first wife, Finnish-born Anita Damsen died at the age of 43 in 1980.    Their marriage took place in Helsinki on July 19, 1956.  A year after her death,  Count Alvaro married Daniele van Ham (1942) at Jodoigne, Belgium on November 27, 1981.

Count Alvaro is survived by his widow, Countess Daniele, and three children, Patricia,  Fréderic Pierre and Veronique and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Fréderic succeeds to the title of Count d'Alcantara de Querrieu.

Alvar was a first cousin of HSH Princess Stephanie of Windisch-Graetz, who died on July 12.

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/07/princess-stephanie-of-windisch-graetz.html

Princess Stephanie faces arrest because she won't leave

January 13, 1941 

 The Justice Department today said that immigration officers have served a deportation order on Princess Stephanie of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst, in Palo Alto, California. The princess had arrived in the USA in 1939 and received an extension to her visa. 

A second extension was denied, and she was to have left the country last Saturday. But on January 6, the princess notified immigration officials that she was unable to travel due to "a nervous condition." Two public health officials visited the princess and certified that she was suffering from "hysteria," and was "too ill to travel." 

However, according to the Justice Department's own report, the princess' physician told immigration officials that the princess had been taking sedatives, which had not been prescribed, and which were the cause of her mental and physical condition. He said there was no need for her to take the pills, which appear to have been illegally obtained. The Princess is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday. Bail has been set at $25,000. 

Princess Stephanie has been described as a Nazi sympathizer, although she denies these reports.

 In a statement from her home, where she remains in seclusion, the Princess said: "I am anti-Nazi, Pro-British and Pro-American. London is my home and England is my country." 

 Her lawyer, Stephen Bullock, tells the Los Angeles Times that his client "is not now and was never connected with the Nazi Government."

Memorial Service for Princess Margarita of Baden

HRH Princess Margarita of Baden Memorial Service

London, 13 January 2014 – A memorial service for HRH Princess Margarita of Baden formerly married to HRH Prince Tomislav (brother of HM King Peter II) took place yesterday in the Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Sava in London.

Present were Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander, Crown Princess Katherine, Princess Katarina (daughter), Victoria de Silva (granddaughter), Prince Ludwig (brother) and Princess Mandi (sister in law) of Baden, His Excellency Serbian Ambassador Dr Ognjen Pribicevic and Mrs Pribicevic.

The memorial service was officiated by the Reverend Fathers Goran Spaic, Milun Kostic, Djordje Cekerovac and Dragan Lazic in the Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Sava in London.

HRH Princess Margarita of Baden’s funeral took place 24 January 2013 and was attended by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (uncle of HRH Princess Margarita), HM Queen Anna Marie of the Hellenes, HRH Princess Sarvath of Jordan and her two daughters, Prince Max and Princess Valerie of Baden, Prince Ludwig and Princess Marianne ( Mandi) of Baden, Prince Bernhard of Baden and Princess Stephanie, Prince Leopold of Baden, Prince Michael of Baden, Prince Berthold of Baden, Princess Marie Louse of Baden, His Excellency Dr Popovic, Ambassador of Serbia.

HRH Princess Margarita of Baden was a niece of the Duke of Edinburgh and was married HRH Prince Tomislav. Princess Margarita was born at Salem, Germany on July 14 1932, the eldest of three children of Prince Berthold, Margrave of Baden, and his wife, Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark, a sister of the Duke Edinburgh. Princess Margarita’s father was head of the grand ducal House of Baden and the son of Margrave Max of Baden, who was imperial chancellor of Germany in 1918. It was in London that Princess Margarita met her future husband, Prince Tomislav the second son of King Alexander I, and Queen Maria. The Prince and Princess were married in Schloss Salem, Germany 5 June 1957. HRH Prince Philip attended the wedding, with his mother, Princess Alice. King Simeon of Bulgaria, the Duke of Edinburgh were witnesses at the Serbian Orthodox service and in the presence of HM King Peter II. The Prince and Princess lived in England and had two children, Prince Nicolas, born in 1958, and Princess Katarina, born in 1959, who later was married for some years to Desmond de Silva, QC, PC. Prince Tomislav and Princess Margarita divorced in 1981. Prince Tomislav returned to Serbia in 1991 and died in 2000 in Oplenac and is buried in the crypt of St. George′s Church the Mausoleum of the Royal Family.

Another Coburg scandal

July 6, 1905


Another Coburg scandal is about to happen, according to the Marquise de Fontenoy's latest dispatch.  It appears that the doctors who were appointed to evaluate the mental condition of Princess Philipp of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, have "decided that she is perfectly sane."    There is also no evidence to "show that she has been demented in the past," and her confinement in a sanitarium "was therefore entirely unwarranted."

The Princess' husband, Prince Philipp, has stopped paying her allowance, and has also "instituted a suit for divorce against her."  He has the view that if she is "sane, and if she has been sane all along,  then she is responsible for her acts," which have including running off with former captain, Geza Mattatich, who served in the Austrian army.

Princess Philipp, who was born Princess Louise of Belgium,  may have "considerable difficult in disculpating herself" from her estranged husband's accusations, but she may be "relied upon to defend herself by counter charges of an equally grievous description against her husband."   She is intent on charging Prince Philipp with "cruelty, neglect, infidelity" and drunkenness.  She also plans to sue him for "conspiracy and perjury" in regards to her incarceration in an asylum for several years even though she was "perfectly sane."

This scandal has the makings of a very unsavory situation as "any that have gone before in connection with the Coburgs."

A divorce will be difficult because the Prince and Princess are Roman Catholics, and "neither of them will be able to marry again when divorced unless they change their religion."   Now that the Princess' allowance has ceased, she has little funds to live on.   She is not in communication with her father, King Leopold II, and her elder sister, the former Crown Princess Stephanie of Austria, has "quarreled with her again" for refusing to get involved with the "suit now pending in Brussels against King Leopold for recovery of the late queen of Belgium's fortune."

Stephanie, now married to Hungarian Count Elmer Lonyay, has "effected a sort of reconciliation" with her only child, Princess Otto of Windisch-Graetz.   She recently spent several days with her daughter in Prague, and got to meet her second grandchild, who is 6 months old.   Stephanie was not accompanied by her husband because  Princess Otto, the former Archduchess Elisabeth,  has refused to meet or "recognize in anyway her stepfather."  She considers her mother's second marriage as an "insult to the memory of her own father," Crown Prince Rudolf.

The Count and Countess Lonyay are largely shunned by everyone in Europe.  They are now renting Ashdean, a country house in Sussex, "yet the English royal family holds aloof from them, and English society follows suit."

Stephanie's social position has been ruined by her second marriage.  She lost all of her "royal and imperial prerogatives," as well as her fortune. 

I

Princess Stephanie of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to marry

Princess Stephanie of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is engaged to Jan Stahl, an engineer with BMW.  They have been dating for several years.

Princess Stephanie was born in January 1972, the first of three children of Prince Andreas and Princess Carin of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Prince Andreas is the present head of the Ducal House.

The Princess is a trained therapist in Bowtech,  a"gentle, non-intrusive hands-on therapy that stimulates the muscles in the body to aid in healing" horses, dogs and other animals.

The couple expect to marry in 2018.


http://prinzandreas.com/

http://stephanie-coburg.de/

Offer made to Leopold's daughters

December 10, 1910

By telegraph to Clifden, Ireland, "thence by wireless to the New York Times.

Next week Princess Clementine and Prince Victor Napoleon will travel to Vienna to visit Emperor Franz Joseph. Clementine's older sister, Princess Stephanie, and her husband, Count Lonyay, will also travel to Vienna.  The two sisters "will consult together" to discuss the settlement recently offered to them by the Belgian Government.
The Government's offer includes a payment of $800,000 to each princess, as well as a similar sum "as the basis of a life annuity."  The amount offered is based on their share in their late father, King Leopold's fortune. 
Princess Clementine has already received $400,000 "without prejudice to her further expectations."  Princess Stephanie has "so far refused the offer of a settlements" as the third sister, Princess Louise, has filed suit against the Belgian government.   Princess Stephanie and Princess Clementine will also "claim a full third" of their father's fortune.

A Princely Marriage - Louis and Helene

 

TSH the Hereditary Prince and Princess of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg

HSH Hereditary Prince Ludwig of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg and Helene von Pezold were married on September 9 at the Wertheim Collegiate Church.  The wedding was a Lutheran service

The bride was dressed in a "simple wedding dress with a train," according to Bunte.   She was given away by her father, Kilian von Pezold.

The Princess of Bentheim-Tecklenburg and her daughter, Princess Louise

The Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg with his daughter-in-law, Stephanie (widow of the late Hereditary Prince Carl Friedrich)

Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria and Daniel Terberger

Princess Ameli of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg & her husband Constantin von Brandenstein Zeppelin 

Princess Amelie of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg and her husband, 

                            Benedikt Schmid von Schmidsfelden.

Several pages and flower girls attended the new Hereditary Princess: Caspar and Ottilie von Dewitz, Countesses Camilla and Eleonore Fugger von Babenhausen (nieces of the groom), and Count Xaver of Solms-Laubach.

The Landgrave and Landgravine of Hesse

Prince and Princess Heinrich of Croy

Sophie, Countess of Fugger von Babenhausen (sister of groom) with her daughters, Countesses Eleonore and Camilla.

The Prince and Princess of Schaumburg Lippe

the Hereditary Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe

The guests included the Prince and Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe and the Hereditary Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe. the Landgrave and Landgravine of Hesse, Prince Stephan and Princess Maria zur Lippe with their children, Duke Christian and Duchess Caroline of Oldenburg,  The Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg and Stephanie, Hereditary Princess of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg Fürst,  The Prince and Princess of Leiningen and the Hereditary Prince and Princess of Leiningen, the Prince and Princess of Isenburg, Count of Erbach-Erbach, Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria and Daniel Terberger, the Prince of Castell-Rüdenhausen Count Anton of Castell-Rüdenhausen and his husband, William Ferro Melo and the Prince and Princess of  Oettingen-Wallerstein.

The Prince of Isenburg

Prince of Leiningen (right)

The Prince and Princess of Leiningen (Princess Alexandra of Hanover)

 Count and Countess Franz Clemens of Waldburg-Zeil-Hohenems

Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria

Prince Stephan and Princess Maria zur Lippe with their children

The Prince and Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe and the Hereditary Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe

Count and Countess Franz Clemens of Waldburg-Zeil-Hohenems

A reception followed at Schloss Kreuzwertheim, the residence of the Prince and Princess of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg.

These photos are the copyright of a friend, who has allowed me to use them.  Unfortunately, not all have captions.