Duchess of Cornwall will receive Order of the Garter

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The Duchess of Cornwall has received this very high honor for "services to the Sovereign."

It is unusual for the wife of the heir apparent to receive the Garter.   Queen Alexandra was the first (modern) Royal Lady. She received the Order in 1901 after her husband, King Edward VII, succeeded to the throne.  She was the only distaff member of the Royal Family to receive the Order of the Garter during the reign of Edward VII.

Queen Alexandra was the first female royal to receive the Order since 1488 when Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Derby received the Order from her son, Henry VII.

Shortly after his accession to the throne in May 1910, King George V bestowed the Order of the Garter on his wife, Queen Mary.     Twenty-six years later,  King George VI named his wife, Queen Elizabeth as a Royal Lady of the Garter.

In 1944, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands was named the first female Stranger Lady.  Princess Elizabeth, as heiress presumptive to the throne, received the Order in 1947.  

The Queen has since named three more Stranger Ladies:  Queen Juliana of the Netherlands (1958) Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (1979) and  Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (1989).  The first Lady of the Garter since the 1500s was Lavinia, Duchess of Norfolk in 1990.  Since 1990. five more women have been named as Lady Companion:  Baroness Thatcher (1995),  Mary, Baroness Soames (2005), Baroness Manningham-Buller (2014) Lady Mary Fagan, (2018), and  Lady Mary Peters (2019). 

Edward III founded the Most Noble Order of the Garter, an order of chivalry, in 1348.  The Order is limited to 24 members.  As supernumeraries, The Prince of Wales. Royal Knights and Ladies and Stranger Knights and Ladies (foreign sovereigns) are excluded from the 24 member limit.

There is a precedent for honoring the spouse of the heir to the throne with the Order.  On November 19, 1947, King George VI gave the order to his future son-in-law, Prince Philip.  Princess Elizabeth received the Garter a week earlier so she could have precedence before her husband.   The Duke of Edinburgh would not have to wait until his wife was Queen to receive the Order.  Perhaps the Queen thinks that the Duchess of Cornwall should not have to wait for the Garter until Charles becomes king.

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha received the Garter at Ehrenburg Palace in January 1839 before he left his homeland to marry Queen Victoria.

The late Duke of Edinburgh was 26 when he married the then Princess Elizabeth.  The Duchess of Cornwall is 74 years old.   

A new precedent may be set and perhaps, the Duchess of Cambridge will be the first Royal lady to receive the Garter from King Charles III.

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It is apparent that the Queen holds her daughter-in-law in high regard with the bestowing of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.  

The motto of the Most Noble Order of the Garter is “Honi soit qui mal y pense” — “Evil be to him who evil thinks."

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A Belgian Royal engagement

 

An announcement today from the Belgian Royal Palace: "Their Royal Highnesses Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz are delighted to announce the engagement of Her Royal Highness Princess Maria Laura to Mr. William Isvy.

The  33-year-old princess is the second child and eldest daughter of HRH Princess Astrid of Belgium and HRH Prince Lorenz of Belgium, who was born HI & RH Archduke Lorenz of Austria.  Mr. Isvy is the son of Philippe Isvy and Lisa Louise Wilson.  His father has French and Moroccan ancestry and his mother is English.   

 Philippe is the Chief  Investment Officer at Mogador Capital and is based in London.

Mr. Isvy was in Paris on March 9, 1991, but he has spent most of his life in England, where he works as an investment banker.  He is an Analyst at Millennium Capital Partners LLP.   He received his baccalaureate from the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle in Kensington. He graduated from McGill University in Montreal.

Princess Maria Laura Zita Beatrix Gerhard was born on August 26, 1988, at the Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Brussels.  She is ninth in line to the Belgian throne but does not carry out official engagements.

She studied  Chinese and international relations at the Institute of Oriental Languages ​​in Paris.  The princess worked in China for two years before moving to England, where she earned a master's degree in international affairs and diplomacy at SOAS Universand doing an internship in New York. 

Princess Maria Laura worked for the years at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development before moving to her current job in 2020, where she is an analyst in the climate change sector.  She is the granddaughter of former King Albert II and Queen Paola.   

The couple met in London in 2015.   The wedding is said to take place in the second half of 2022.

both photos @ Andrew Ferraro

Grand Duke George and Princess Victoria celebrate in Madrid

 

Princess Victoria Romanovna 

The newly married Grand Duke George and Princess Victoria Romanovna celebrated their first Christmas as a married couple with Grand Duchess Maria and Princess Victoria's parents, Ambassador Roberto and Carla, Bettarini, at the Grand Duchess' Madrid home.

A Christmas baby

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 December 25, 1936

"HRH the Duchess of Kent was safely delivered of a daughter at 11:20 this morning.  Her Royal Highness and the infant Princess are doing excellently."

A few hours was another announcement that the Duchess and the infant Princess were "going on very well."

This is the second child for the Duke and Duchess of Kent.  Their son, Prince Edward was born in October 1935.

The Home Secretary Sir John Simon was summoned to Belgrave Square shortly before 10: a.m.    As The Times noted,  "constitutionally the Home Secretary must be present for the birth."  

The Duchess of Kent's parents,  Prince and Princess of Nicholas of Greece and Denmark were also present.  The news of the birth was "conveyed" to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and other members of the Royal family who are at Sandringham for the Christmas holiday.

The "happy event" was announced by the firing of guns at the Park and Tower.

Queen Mary, the infant Princess' paternal grandmother confided to other family members:  "The only nice thing to have happened this year."   Her husband, King George V,  died at Sandringham House on January 20.   Their eldest son, David, the Prince of Wales, succeeded as Edward VIII, but he chose to put his love for Mrs. Simpson before his constitutional duty as King.    He abdicated on December 11 and is now living in exile in France, and has been given the title Duke of Windsor.

George V's second son, Prince Albert, Duke of York succeeded his brother as King George VI.  He and his wife, Elizabeth, have two young daughters, Princess Elizabeth, 10, and six-year-old Princess Margaret.   

The new Infant Princess is 6th in line to the throne.

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King Harald V: Christmas Greetings

 

The Royal Family at Bygdø Royal Farm 2021. Photo: Lise Åserud, NTB

from King Harold V of Norway

Christmas greetings from the King

His Majesty King Harald sends this greeting to everyone at the entrance to the Christmas holidays.

23.12.2021

Dear everyone

Then there was no ordinary Christmas this year either. Many go into the holidays with disappointment, longing, and worry for the future.

I send you all a warm hope that the Christmas holidays, after all, must be characterized by warmth and care for each other.

Christmas greetings from King Harald. 

It's time again to remember all that each of us can do: 

Make a phone call to someone you know will appreciate it.

Send a greeting to someone who needs it.

Take a walk with someone you care about.

https://www.kongehuset.no/nyhet.html?tid=200449&sek=26939

We all have the opportunity to make life a little brighter for the people around us.

My family and I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas!

 

A new QVD: Thomas James Baker Leiningen

@Ian Baker

Congratulations to Princess Nadia zu Leiningen and her husband Ian Baker who are new parents.  Nadia gave birth to Thomas James Baker Leiningen, born on December 20th in Oakville, Ontario.   

This is the second grandson of Nadia's parents. Hermann and Deborah as their eldest daughter, Princess Tatiana gave birth to August Reynolds Leiningen on June 14.

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-newest-qvd-august-rhodes-robert.html

Victoria - Alfred - Victoria Melita - Marie  - Karl - Hermann - Nadia - Thomas 

Countess Margherita von und zu Arco-Zinneberg engaged to Charles Green

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Countess Margherita von und zu Arco-Zinneberg, the second eldest of six daughters of the late Count Riprand von und zu Arco-Zinneberg and HI & RH Archduchess Maria Beatrix of Austria, is engaged to marry Charles  Douglas Green.

The Countess is a writer and filmmaker.   She lives in London and has a Master’s degree in Film from the Tisch School of the Arts, NYU (2016) and a BA in Anthropology from Columbia University, New York (2006).  

Margherita is a founder of Traveling Panda Productions, an independent film company, with Regina Brandolino and Anna-Maria Ramm. 

Mr. Green was born in 1981 in Wimbledon and attended Eton.  He studied at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is currently a Sales Trader with RBC Capital Markets in London.

Charles is the son of the late Ian Green and Helena Marian Hunt.  He has two full sisters, Tiffany and Lucy, and four half-siblings, Alice Fermor-Hesketh (from Helena's second marriage to the Hon. John-Fermor-Hesketh,) younger son of the 2nd Baron Hesketh) and James, Nicholas, and Annabel Green. who married the Duke of Roxburghe in September.

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https://travellingpandaproductions.com/

https://tisch.nyu.edu/grad-film/festivals-awards/the-purple-list-2021/purple-list-archive/the-purple-list-2015/the-salt-of-the-earth

https://margheritaarco.net/free-architect-film/

As always, thank you to my source.

A princely engagement: Fugger von Babenhausen-Stoudemire

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Hereditary Count Alexander Emanuel Josef Ernst Markus Maria Fugger von Babenhausen and Gabriella Beatriz Stoudemire have announced their engagement.   Alexander is the third child of five children and the second son of  HSH Hubertus Prince Fugger von Babenhausen and HSH Princess Alexandra zu Oettingen-Oettingen u Oettingen-Spielberg.  He was born in Augsburg on November 21, 1981.

Alexander became the heir after his brother, Count Leopold renounced his right of succession after he married Annina Kammer.

Gabriella Stoudemire is the daughter of Sterling Cranford Stoudemire and Dora-Beatriz Cortés Gelpi.  She was born on November 3, 1987.  

The Stoudemire family has roots in North Carolina.  Miss Stoudemire's mother was born in Puerto Rico.

Cran Stoudemire and Dora-Beatriz Cortés Gelpi were married on May 8, 1982, in an ecumenical service at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.  The wedding was held in the Lady Chapel with Rev. Anthony Della Villa and the Rev. Peter James Lee, an Episcopalian priest, officiating.

https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/09/style/miss-cortes-is-married-to-sterling-stoudemire.html

Mrs. Stoudmire's family owns Cortes Hermanos LLC,. a Chocolate company with roots in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.  The Cortés family has been making chocolate since 1929.  They also run the Fundación Cortés, a "private non-profit organization that, through art and humanities, seeks to promote the strengthening of the values of our people."   Dora-Beatriz is one of the administrators of Cortés Hermanos LLC.

https://www.chocobarcortes.com/

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Gabriella's father is the Managing Director at  Butler Capital Partners.  

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 Her paternal grandfather Sterling Aubrey Stoudemire was a long-time professor of Spanish, and chair in the Department of Romance Languages at the University of North Carolina. 

She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Georgetown University in 2010, where she received a BA in Art History, Psychology, and Spanish.   She earned an MA in Contemporary Art at Sotheby's Institute of Art the following year.  Miss Stoudemire then attended  Columbia University's School of Business, receiving an MBA in 2018.   She works in Strategy & Partnerships at mHealth | ICT.

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The Hereditary Count is the Managing Director of Fürst Fugger Central Administration, headquartered at Schloss Wellenburg.  He worked in investment banking in London before returning to Germany to "manage the family's wealth and charitable activities," according to a Bloomberg profile, "How to Stay Rich in Europe: Inherit Money for 700 years (8/23/2016).

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 The Fugger von Babenhausen family owns "the Fuggerei, an affordable-housing complex founded by Jakob Fugger in 1521".  Alexander, who graduated from Harvard University in 2005, told Bloomberg:

“It’s not the fast-lived, dynamic sector that forces you to take high risks. In every decision we make for the Fuggerei, we try to consider that and be prudent. It would be disastrous if a mistake brought sustainability to an end after 19 generations.

“I almost feel a little bit more like a trustee,''  the Hereditary Count said. “I become very frugal in what I take for myself., referring to the family business.

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Queen Sofia now in Greece

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 After attending the Raphael concert last night in Madrid,  Queen Sofia of Spain headed to the airport for a flight to Athens where her younger brother, King Constantine II is in the hospital, according to the Spanish magazine, Semana.

The former sovereign is suffering from pneumonia and pulmonary edema.

Although Constantine's condition is said to be stable, he is receiving oxygen to help him breathe.

Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark married the future King Juan Carlos of Spain in 1962.  They are the parents of two daughters, Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina, and one son, King Felipe V, who succeeded his father after Juan Carlos' abdication on June 19, 2014.

King Juan Carlos who has been living in the United Arab Emirates since August 2020 is not expected to leave his exile and visit his brother-in-law. 

https://www.semana.es/casas-reales/reina-sofia-viaja-grecia-ingreso-hermano-constantino-hospital-20211217-002431785/?amp

Brandram-Ferguson marriage

 Nicholas Brandram and Sophie Ferguson were married earlier today at the Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks.  The groom's nephews, Maximillian and Alexander Voelcker were pages, and niece, Thea Hicks was the bridesmaid.

Nicholas is the son of the late Paul Brandram and Jennifer Steele. 

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 He is a grandson of the late HRH Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark and Richard Brandram.  

After her marriage, Princess Katherine was styled in the United Kingdom as Lady Katherine Brandram, with the precedent of the daughter of a duke.

Nicholas is a descendant of Queen Victoria and King Christian IX of Denmark

Victoria - Victoria - Sophie - Katherine - Paul - Nicholas

Christian IX - Wilhelm (George) - Constantine - Katherine  - Paul - Nicholas

I hope to have more information about the wedding in due course.

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2021/05/nicholas-brandram-to-marry.html

King Constantine in hospital with pneumonia

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King Constantine II of the Hellenes is in an Athens hospital, where he is being treated for pneumonia, according to several news reports.  The original report that he suffered a stroke is incorrect.

Constantine, 81, whose reign lasted from 1964 until 1974, when Greeks voted to abolish the monarchy in a plebiscite. He suffered a stroke several years ago and has been confined to a wheelchair.

The king was taken to the Kranidi Health Center near his home in Porto Heli where medical professionals were able to stabilize his condition, and then transferred by ambulance to a private hospital in Athens, a distance of nearly 100 miles.

According to the linked article, King Constantine II was last seen in public on October 23, when he attended the religious wedding of his youngest child, Prince Philippos to Swiss heiress Nina Flohr, which took place at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Athens.

https://greekreporter.com/2021/12/16/former-king-greece-constantine-pneumonia/

Friedrich Prince of Solms-Baruth fights for restoration of estate

 

Friedrich Prince of Solms-Baruth (1886-1951)

The late Friedrich Prince of Solms-Baruth (1886-1951) was involved in the "July Plot" to kill Adolf Hitler and take down the Nazi regime.  After the failure of Operation Valkyrie, the prince was arrested and tortured for his role in the failed coup attempt.  He was imprisoned and his property and assets were seized by the Nazis.   His descendants have spent 30 years trying to regain the family properties.

The Times of Israel offers an excellent account of the evidence that proves the late prince was forced to turn over his properties to the Nazis although the German government has claimed that he did this voluntarily.

Friedrich's grandson, Friedrich, Prince of Solms-Baruth, has taken a major role in the next step to regain his family's properties, which includes Schloss Baruth in Brandenburg.

"It is iniquitous that my family's property remains sequestered by the German state who prefer to uphold torture, murder, and theft by a regime widely accepted as the most evil and corrupt in modern history,"  the prince told the Times.

Friedrich is the elder of two sons of the late Friedrich, Price of Solms-Baruth (1926-2006) and Baroness Birgitta  von Berchem-Königsfeld.  The 58-year-old Prince is unmarried and divides his time between homes in South Africa and France.  His younger brother  Count Julian is the heir presumptive to the title. He is married and has two children, Count Alfonso and Countess Cosima.

His grandfather, Prince Friedrich married Princess Adelheid of Schleswig-Holstein in Potsdam on August 1, 1914.   Adelheid (1889-1964) was the fourth of six children of Friedrich Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, a maternal granddaughter of Princess Feodora of Leiningen, Queen Victoria's older half-sister.  

Adelheid's four sisters all married well.  The eldest, Viktoria Adelheid married Carl Eduard, Duke of Albany and Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a British prince by birth and a grandson of Queen Victoria.  Alexandra Viktoria married her first cousin, Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia, the fourth son of Kaiser Wilhelm II, who was a grandson of Queen Victoria.   Helena was the wife of Prince Harald of Denmark, the fourth child of King Frederik VIII and Queen Luise.

The youngest of Adelheid's sisters, Karoline Mathilde, married Count Hans of Solms-Baruth, who was the younger brother of Adelheid's husband, Friedrich,   Adelheid's only brother, Duke Wilhelm, married his second cousin, Princess Marie Melita of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, a great granddaughter of Queen Victoria and her half-sister, Feodora who had married Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

After the second world war, Prince Friedrich and his family emigrated to what was then known as South West Africa (now Namibia).  He died in Windhoek in 1951.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/german-prince-fights-for-estate-stolen-after-his-grandfather-tried-to-kill-hitler/

Prince Philip Documentary will stream on Discovery plus

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“Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers”: A documentary filmed throughout the late Prince Philip’s one-hundredth year, this features more than a dozen members of the Royal family sharing memories and paying tribute to His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. 

The program will premiere on December 16.

You can sign up for a free 7-day trial and then cancel before your credit card is charged.

The program is still available for free on YouTube 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVvZil3cIHE

Case closed for Juan Carlos' Saudi Money laundering scheme

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 Geneva prosecutors have "closed a probe into five people suspected of money laundering in a case that looked at donations" by the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to former King Juan Carlos of  Spain.

The case was opened in 2018 after reports whether King Juan Carlos "had received illicit bribes to a high-speed train contract in Saudi Arabia."  This contract had been awarded to a Spanish-Saudi consortium.

Prosecutors, according to the Bloomberg report, zoomed in on a $100 million payment that the Saudi King  ordered paid to a Swiss bank "held by a foundation of which the king was the main beneficiary."

The case has been closed after prosecutors found that Abdullah's payment "was not linked to wrongdoing.  Their investigation "didn't sufficiently establish a link between the amount received from Saudi Arabia and the conclusion of contracts for the construction of the high-speed train,"  according to a statement released by the prosecutors' office.

The names of the five people have never been released due to Swiss law.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-13/geneva-prosecutor-closes-spain-saudi-money-laundering-probe?utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_content=business&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business

PATRON SAINT DAY OF THE ROYAL FAMILY KARADJORDJEVIC

 

TRH Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine with Fathers Goran Spaic and Dragan Lazic in the Church of Saint Sava in London,

Belgrade, 13 December 2021 - Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine marked today their Patron Saint Day (Serbian – “Krsna slava”) – St. Andrew the First-Called in London, in the church of Saint Sava. The church service and cutting of the Slava bread were performed by reverend fathers Goran Spaic and Dragan Lazic, priests from the Serbian Orthodox Church in London.

“Slava is one of the most important Serbian customs and one of the most important days in the year for each Serbian Orthodox family. Although due to obligations abroad we were not at home and we were not able, as in previous years, to cut the Slava bread in the Blue Salon of the Royal Palace and be at the Royal Chapel of St. Andrew the First-Called, together with His Holiness the Patriarch, my wife, Crown Princess Katherine and I today, respecting our tradition, celebrated our Patron Saint’s Day in London.

All photos @HRH Crown Prince Alexander

Celebrating Slava is an opportunity to gather family and friends. We pray to Saint Andrew the First-Called the First Apostle of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, to give us the strength to overcome these challenging times, to ask the Lord for blessings for all the people of the world, and to give us the strength to continue the tradition of our ancestors and pass on the legacy to future generations. We are sending our prayers for the well-being and progress of our homeland, our people, and our family. I am very grateful to dear fathers Goran and Dragan for being with us today”, said HRH Crown Prince Alexander.

 

Orders for Grand Duke George and Princess Victoria Romanovna

 

All photos @David Niviere

HIH Grand Duke George of Russia and his wife, HSH Princess Victoria Romanovna were in Paris on December 10 to attend a mass in memory of Grand Duke George's maternal grandparents, TIH Grand Duke Wladimir, and Grand Duchess Leonida.  The service took place at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral where  Metropolitan John of Dubna awarded the Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky to Grand Duke George and the Order of St. Mary Mother of  God to Princess Victoria for her charitable works.

Princess Victoria Romanovna said she was "deeply moved"  to receive the Order of St. Mary Mother of God.

Members of ANRF, the Russian noble association in France and President, Prince

 Beloselsky Belozersky.

All photos @David Niviere

Prince

 Beloselsky Belozersky.  

Thank you to HSH Princess Victoria Romanovna for allowing me the use of the photographs.

Flurry Christmas

Harper would like to announce the arrival of a little sister, Fleur Victoria, who is also known as Flurry.  

I found her on Adopt-a-Pet, which is Tinder for those of us seeking to adopt a pet, usually a cat or a dog.  All of the animal shelters and rescue groups use one or both of the services.   I swipe, but the cat does not swipe back.

I had visited one shelter and sent messages about several cats in other shelters, rescue groups and, one rehoming cat.  All were adorable, all were adopted.  I got Fleur from a To the Rescue, a local group in Springfield, Virginia, and met her at a local Petco, where To the Rescue was doing adoptions.

I checked the site every day to see if Fleur was still available.  I also messaged the rescue group and was told that unless she was adopted in North Carolina, where she was living with a foster mom, she would be at the fair.  The foster mom was driving from North Carolina and was expected to arrive by 1 p.m.  I arrived shortly before 1 p.m.

Fleur was already there.  She was in a display "cage" with a separate bathroom, and she was sharing that large room with several kittens.   Flurry looked even better in person.  I held her, hugged her, and I looked into those green eyes and asked the most important question:  do you want to come home and be a Koenig cat.   A nudge and purrs .... yes, can  I be your furrever kitty?

One of the group's volunteers asked me if they needed to call the foster mom to come back.   No ... I want to adopt her.  She is purrfect.

I brought a carrier with me ..  smart thinking.  Filled out the paperwork.  She was chipped and given a de-wormer.   I was given her medical records and will bring her to the vet so she can be checked out as well.

Fleur was described as about four years old.  I was looking for a female cat between four and seven years old and good with other cats.  

She is very tiny, and I am beginning to think she is younger than four.  She also has a swagger and is a very confident kitty.  I brought her upstairs so she could see the litter boxes, and gave her some food as she had not eaten before leaving North Carolina.  Harper came upstairs, jumped on the desk for a few minutes, and then jumped down, walked over to give Fleur a kiss.  No hissing.  I decided to let her explore, expecting she would prefer to hide until she felt safe.

Well,  she did not hide (not until a few hours ago when I turned on the vacuum cleaner).   Fleur explored every corner, every nook, and cranny in my condo.  She saw the Christmas tree and showed no interest in it.   Phew.  

I introduced her to several toys and she enjoyed playing with them.  Harper has sat next to her and jumped on the bed when she was on it.  That is a good sign, but both are taking their time to get to know each other.  I think they will be fine.

Fleur is tiny and she has the sweetest meow.  Mew Mew.

The Imperial Wedding and Christmas cards

HSH Princess Victoria Romanovna Romanov has shared with me their wedding and Christmas cards that she and HIH Grand Duke George have sent out.  Lovely images.     This is the first Christmas together as husband and wife.  The lovely dog is Zhong. 

Crown Prince Haakon at Arlington National Cemetery

Earlier today, HRH Crown Prince Haakon laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. in Arlington, Virginia.

The solemn ceremony was led by The Old Guard, the third US infantry regiment, which since 1948 has been guarding the cemetery 24 hours a day

The National Cemetery was founded during the American Civil War, while the unknown soldier's grave is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The first unknown soldier to be buried there was a fallen soldier from World War I, who was buried on November 11, 1921.

all 3 photos @Det kongelige hoff

The Princess of Orange reaches her majority

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 Oh my,  Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria, whose official title is HRH The Princess of Orange, celebrates her 18th birthday today.   This means she has reached her majority and can succeed to the throne without the need of a regent.

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 Princess Amalia is the eldest of three daughters of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.  She has two younger sisters, HRH Princess Alexia and HRH Princess Ariane.   Her majority means new responsibilities.  She automatically becomes a member of the Council of State.   

But do not expect to see the Princess of Orange take on royal duties.  Princess Amalia is in her gap year and is expected to attend university next year.

all six photos  ©RVD – Frank Ruiter

https://www.royal-house.nl/members-royal-house/the-princess-of-orange

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59516157

An interview with Princess Sophie of Romania

 

@Royal House

RBN - Royal Book News -- my other blog - features an interview with HRH Princess Sophie of Romania, talking about her new book,  The Romanian Monastery.   The book is written in Romanian and English.

Pop over to RBN to read it -- and order the book.  

https://royalbooknews.blogspot.com/2021/12/an-interview-with-hrh-princess-sophie.html

Another QVD

 

Nicholas de Roumanie Medfirth-Mills and his wife Alina-Maria are exiecting a second child in the spring of 2022.

King Alfonso's battles with Aunt Eulalia

 

December 3, 1911

Infanta Eulalia of Spain is vehement in her criticism of her nephew, King Alfonso XII, who she said has not shown the "slighted recognition" for her son, who has "shown great patriotic devotion in Morocco," reports the New York Times.

She states that this is the last straw, and she has ordered the sale of her estates in Spain as she wants to live in the "strictest of privacy."

Eulalia, the youngest of the late Queen Isabel II, told the press: "I shall be much happier so for I can keep my personality."

Alfonso is also opposed to the Infanta's book, The Thread of Life.  Although she used the name Countess Avila," it is signed inside by Eulalia, Infanta of Spain.

Infanta Eulalia, who lives in Paris, received a telegram from the King regarding her new book.  "I am astonished to learn from the newspapers that you have published a book under the name of Countess Avila. I suppose this will cause you to suspend publication until I have taken cognizance of the contents and give my permission to publish."   

Her reply followed.  "I am greatly astonished that my book should be judged without being read. It is a thing that could only happen in Spain.  Never having a liking for court life, from which I have always held myself aloof, I take this opportunity to bid you good-bye, for, after this proceeding, which is worthy of the inquisition, I consider myself, so far as my private life is concerned, free to act as I deem fit."

The book is described as a "discursive, independent treatise on morality," with chapter headings including "The Development of Will Power," the "Complete Independence of Women, and "Equality of Classes by Education, Religion, and Marriage."

The Infanta has been described as a "radical feminist" and "royal moralist" who approves of divorce but believes it should be a "law based on justice, not, as often happens, on tacit agreement."

She also wrote: "Moral women are more moral, more virtuous, and more sober than men. " In another chapter, she stated: "It is said to be sufficient for [a] woman to be beautiful and a mother.  That is disguised as stupidity.  A woman, like a man, is entitled to the complete development of her faculties."

She also holds the view that a woman is equal to a man, and "should become his useful collaborate, without ceasing to be the generous companion of man in the joys and labors of life." 

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 Eulalia was born in 1864.  At age 22, she married her first Prince Antonio de Orléans y Borbon, the son of Antoine, Duke of Montpensier, and Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain, the younger sister of Queen Isabel.  

They have two sons, Infante Alfonso, 25, and 22-year-old Infante Luis Fernando.  Alfonso is married to Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and Queen Victoria Eugenie's first cousin. 

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It is understood that Eulalia's marriage is one of convenience, and she and Prince Antonio have lived largely separate lives since shortly after the birth of their younger son.

Antonio accompanied his wife to the United States as she was the representative of the Spanish to the Chicago World's Fair in 1893.  The American press noted at that time that Eulalia paid little attention to her husband and "went about enjoying herself without much regard for him.

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Princess Victoria is dead

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December 3, 1935

Princess Victoria, died early today at her home, Coppins, in Iver, Buckinghamshire. She was 67 years old.  She was the second of three sisters of King George V.

The New York Times reports that the princess, who was three years younger than the king, had not been in good health for the past three weeks. Her condition worsened a "little over a week ago," and she was visited by her brother and his wife, Queen Mary. The King's physician, Lord Dawson of Penn, was summoned to Iver on Sunday and visited the princess several times yesterday.

Due to the Princess' grave condition, King George canceled his appearance for the State Opening of Parliament.  The Lord Chancellor, Viscount Hailsham, will read the king's speech.

Since the death of her mother, Queen Alexandra, in 1925, Princess Victoria has lived quietly at her country home, Coppins. She has never been in "robust health," and like her father, King Edward VII, she "had a tendency to bronchitis."

After her father died in 1910, Princess Victoria "sacrificed her own interests to give attention to Queen Alexandra." Her home was filled with her mother's "relics and possessions."

Victoria was one of the "cleverest members" of the British Royal Family. She enjoyed gardening, music, and photography, and she was an "expert bookbinder," and many of the volumes in her library bore "striking evidence of her art and craftsmanship."

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The Princess was president of Queen Alexandra's Rose Day Fund, and each June she attended the Wimbledon Tennis Championships as she was very interested in sports.

Princess Victoria Alexandra Olga Mary was born at Marlborough House in London on July 6, 1868, the fourth child of the then Prince and Princess of Wales. At the time of her birth, she was fifth in line to the British throne behind her father, the future King Edward VII, her two brothers, Albert Victor and George, and her sister, Louise, the late Princess Royal. Since the marriages of her siblings and the births of children and grandchildren, Princess Victoria had slipped down to a "much more remote position in the line of succession."

The princess' baptism took place at Marlborough House on August 6, 1868. The ceremony was conducted by the Bishop of London. Her sponsors were her grandmother, Queen Victoria, who was represented by the Duchess of Cambridge; Emperor Alexander II of Russia, represented by the Russian ambassador; The Queen of the Hellenes, represented by the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz; the Dowager Queen of Denmark; the Tsarevitch of Russia; Prince Arthur; the Dowager Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz; Princess Mary Adelaide, Princess of Teck; Prince Louis of Hesse; Princess Friedrich of Anhalt; and Prince Georg of Hesse.

The Prince of Teck, Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar, and the Countess of Dornburg and Count and Countess Gleichen were also present for the service.

Princess Victoria traveled nearly every year "under the strictest incognito" with her former governess for "prolonged trips to the remotest parts of the British Isles" or to the European continent.

Later in life, she "developed a weakness of constitution which made her virtually an invalid." Her sisters, Louise, who died in 1931, and Queen Maud of Norway also suffered from poor health.

Victoria served as a faithful companion to her mother, especially after King Edward died in 1910.

Her "gentle and lovable disposition" made the princess a firm favorite among her relatives, especially her nieces and nephews.

Princess Victoria never married.

In 1892, there were rumors that the Princess was about to become engaged to Earl of Rosebery, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs. At the time, Lord Rosebery, 55, a noted Liberal politician, was a widower with four young children. She had formed an attachment to the earl, but Lord Roseberry, who was more interested in his political career, snubbed her. Victoria's older sister, Louise, married the Earl of Fife, and on their wedding day, he was created a duke by Queen Victoria.
Her parents did not actively seek a husband for Victoria, as Alexandra was determined to keep one of her daughters at her side.

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After the announcement of the Princess's death, flags all throughout the country were lowered to half-staff. The Lord Chamberlain has issued the following announcement: "The King commands that the Court shall wear mourning for six weeks from this date for her late Royal Highness, Princess Victoria, sister of His Majesty.

" The Court is to change to half-mourning on Tuesday, Dec. 24, and on Tuesday, Jan. 14, the court is to go out of mourning.

All royal engagements have been canceled. The "honeymoon plans" for the newly married Duke and Duchess of Gloucester have also been canceled. They had planned to travel to Northern Ireland for several days of shooting.
The funeral will take place on Saturday at St. George's Chapel, Windsor.

Afterward, the coffin will be "placed in the royal vault," for later internment at the royal cemetery at Frogmore.

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