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| Konstantin Johannsman, Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Countess Ingrid von Pfiel und Klein-Ellguth, King Frederik X and Queen Mary, Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Count Richard von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth @Kungehuset |
On April 29 - Princess Benedikte's 80th birthday - King Frederik X and Queen Mary hosted a luncheon for the Princess, the king's maternal aunt, at Frederik VIII's Palace.
Beatrice von Preussen, 43, gave birth to her first child, Cecile Rosetta Robin Preussen. Beatrice is the eldest daughter of Prince Nicholas von Preussen and his former wife, the Hon. Victoria Mancroft. She married Edmund Jenner on February 5, 2022.
Victoria - Victoria - Wilhelm II - Wilhelm - Friedrich - Nicholas - Beatrice - Cecilie
Beatrice is also a descendant of the Guinness (Earl of Iveagh) family through her mother, Lady Brigid Guinness, younger daughter of Rupert Guinness, 2nd Earl of Iveagh, and Lady Gwendolyn Onslow.
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| @kongehuset |
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| Queen Anne Marie, Princess Benedikte & Queen Margrethe II 4/28/2024 @Kongehuset |
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Lady Helen Marina Lucy Taylor is the second child and only daughter of HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and Katharine Worsley. She was born on April 28, 1964, the third of the four royal babies born that year.
She was born at Coppins, in Iver, Buckinghamshire, which belonged to her father, the Duke of Kent, elder son of the late HRH Prince George, Duke of Kent, and HRH Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. Lady Helen weighed 7lbs 8 ozs and was born at 10:30 p.m. The Duke of Kent was not present for the birth as he was stationed with his regiment in Germany. The Duke was a Captain in the Royal Scots Greys.
He learned about the birth from a telephone call from his mother, Princess Marina. The Duke of Kent saw his daughter for the first time the next day after he flew from Germany to London Airport, where he was driven to Coppins.
The new baby's baptism was held in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle on June 6. Her godparents were Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, the Hon. Angus Ogilvy, Mrs. David Butter (Myra Wernher), and Sir Philip Hay. The Dean of Windsor was assisted by the Rev. T.E.F Coulson, Vicar of Iver.
She was named for her paternal great-grandmother, Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna of Russia, her paternal grandmother, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, and her mother, whose middle name is Lucy. Helen has two brothers, George, Earl of St. Andrews(1962) and Lord Nicholas Windsor (1970.)
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Lady Helen was a student at St. Mary's Wantage, before finishing her formal education as one of 20 female six-formers at the "robustly masculine of Gordonstoun," where her cousin, Prince Edward, was a contemporary, The youngest son of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Edward was the second of the four 1964 babies. She has remained "best chums" with Lady Sarah Chatto, the last of the 1964 royal births.
In 1983, she moved into a £180,000 flat in Ebury Street with Arabella Cobbold, one of her St, Mary schoolmates, in Ebury Street. One of her first jobs was with Christie's, "working at the front desk for £60 a week. A year later, she spent time with a family in France, where she improved her French. "My French is reasonable, but, yes, my father speaks good French." At the time, Lady Helen, then 20, worked in a Mayfair art gallery. Although the "idea [living in France with a family] is very vague at the moment," she added: "All I can say is that I am not quitting the art world whatever happens."
She was promoted to Technical Assistant in Christie's Contemporary Art Department and transferred to their auction house in New York City, where she spent four months before returning to London.
Helen joined Karsten Schubert Gallery in 1988. By 1991, Lady Helen was a Director of the Karsten Schubert Gallery, a "beatific English Rose among the surly, Disque-Bleu-smoking crowd."
She was determined to succeed in the art world. "I am very serious about my career. It is the most important thing in my life. I need to earn my own living and I'm prepared to work hard for it, " she said in 1988. "I am definitely not thinking of settling down with and having children. I am far too young and I have a lot to do before then."
"I've been in the art world for about seven years now, " Lady Helen said in 1991, "and my aim was always to end up part running a small gallery -- there are only three people here -- being the sort of second in command-indispensable person working with young artists and some established ones. That's exactly what I am doing now so I don't know what comes next. It's just perfect for me."
Although she acknowledged in a TV interview that she turned down representing Damien Hirst, she is responsible for discovering British artists Rachel Whiteread and Gary Hume.
One of her long-term boyfriends was David Flint Wood, later the partner of India Hicks, Helen's relationship with David lasted for nearly five years. A friend told Tatler in 1991: "David was obsessed with Helen. He was jealous of anyone else being friends with her. That's why I was so pleased when she met Tim [Taylor], He's so much less oppressive. And he's cleverer too because he gives her her freedom. It's a much healthier relationship."
Lady Helen met Tim Taylor, a London art dealer, in New York City There was "an instant chemistry between them." In September 1990, the couple celebrated two years together with a trip to Linville, North Carolina, near the Great Smokey Mountains, where Helen was photographed wearing a Stars and Stripes bikini. Taylor, described as "pushy but talented," worked for the Bernard Jacobson Gallery in Mayfair before he was "poached by the powerful figure of millionaire Leslie Waddington," who owned four West End galleries."
Lady Helen and Tim Taylor's engagement was announced on January 7, 1992. The couple met the press in the "book-lined drawing room of her parents' apartment in St. James's Palace. Lady Helen, proudly showed off her "large square cut emerald engagement ring."
The ring was a Taylor family heirloom.
She told the reporters: "As you can imagine I feel very, very happy." Tim added: "We are extremely happy." Lady Helen declined to say where Tim proposed, "We have to have some secrets."
Their marriage was celebrated at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on June 16, 1992. It was the first royal wedding there since 1905 when Princess Margaret of Connaught married the future King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden. The bride wore a Catherine Walker gown and a diamond tiara, worn by the Duchess of Kent at her wedding in 1961.
The reception was held at the Duke and Duchess of Kent's Oxfordshire home.
In October 1992, Lady Helen quit her job at Karsten Schubert Gallery as she hoped to start a family. It was not until February 1994, that she announced "Yes, I'm pregnant -- and I'm absolutely delighted."
The couple's first child, Columbus George Donald Taylor, was born a month prematurely, on August 6, 1994, at London's Portland Hospital. There was no immediate explanation for the baby's unusual first name. The Duke of Kent's spokesman said. "They chose it because it was a name they both liked. But the reason they both liked it will remain private."
A few days after Columbus' birth, Daily Express correspondent, Ross Benson wrote: "Columbus, I can disclose, was the name of the cherished gundog acquired by Helen's father, the Duke of Kent, in 1957 The damp-nosed golden-haired Labrador quickly became a firm favorite with the young Windsors. He took a particular shine to Helen when she arrived in 1964."
Columbus was christened in the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace on December 19, 1994. Lady Helen and her husband chose not to release any details about the ceremony, as it was "definitely a family affair."
A second son, Cassius Edward, was born "a little early" on December 26, 1996. Helen had been expected to give birth in February 1997.
The Timothy Taylor Gallery opened in Mayfair in 1996. Twenty years later, he opened his first gallery in NYC, followed in 2023 by a flagship space at 74 Leonard Street in Tribeca. In 1998, after 6 months of chemotherapy, Tim was declared cancer free, after battling Hodgkins' Disease.
After her marriage, Lady Helen became the muse to several fashion designers. In 1999, she "packed up all of her old clothing" to wear only Calvin Klein, "down to the underwear."
"And I had some lovely things," she said at the time. "If Calvin dresses me up in beautiful clothes, I feel I can do anything. Her official title was consultant and ambassador to Calvin Klein. The relationship with Klein came to a "natural end" when he sold his business nearly two years later.
Before she signed with Calvin Klein, she had an informal arrangement with Giorgio Armani. "Armani were very kind, and we had an informal arrangement that I could borrow things."
In January 2000, Lady Helen was profiled in Harpers & Queen magazine where she discussed the "balancing act as a working mother."
Her two sons were five and two at the time of the interview. "The children take up a lot of my time and that took a bit of getting used to. But, once you accept that is the way it is, it's very fulfilling. I'm lucky in that I have a good nanny and a good granny -- my mother-in-law is an enormous help."
Tim's bout with cancer "made them both more health-conscious." Lady Helen said: "I love food - I'm very greedy, and I like to cook -- but since Tom's illness we pay more attention to what we eat. He prefers meat, while I'm more of a fish person."
She noted her attention to fashion was a "comparatively recent development." It was not until she was in her late 20s that she "began to develop a style of my own."
"Both Armani and Calvin Klein make the sort of clothes you look forward to putting on. I have a long navy-blue Armani evening dress, for example, that I've had for six years, and I wear it time and time again; and I have a number of Calvin Klein clothes that are a pleasure to wear."
In 2000, Lady Helen was also profiled by British Vogue, which confirmed she had been "contracted by Armani as the company's representative in London."
Lady Helen told the magazine: "Armani approached me when the first Emporio opened in London and Mr. Armani was incredibly generous to me. Whenever I had to go to some function, they would try and help me out. I suppose I was 23 or 24 at the time and didn't really have much sense of style. He really helped define that. I realized what suited me best was a simple minimal style approach to dressing."
It was Calvin Klein who "spotted the potential in Helen." She was offered a "lucrative contract" to wear Calvin Klein all the time, but when that arrangement ended, Helen "returned to the Armani fold." This time, however, "formally employed to wear Armani from head to toe, day and night."
Helen's life. according to British Vogue, has been "imbued by a social position and the privileges that come with it. "I like to think Armani and Bulgari want me, the individual. It's not just about the family I come from."
Lady Helen and her husband had discussed having another child after the birth of Cassius. Tim's cancer diagnosis and the intensive chemotherapy treatment that followed put their decision on hold. "We decided we wanted to wait until Tim had been given the all-clear for two years. And then, there was the consideration that the boys, eight and six, have a certain independence and maybe it was easier to keep things as they were."
Eloise Olivia Katherine Taylor was born on March 2, 2003. Lady Helen called Eloise a "miracle birth."
She told Majesty's Ingrid Seward: "But it's lovely for the boys to have a little sister -- they can't stop kissing her and touching her. They adore her -- and I'm hoping she will have a civilising effect on them, just as I did with my brothers."
Lady Helen also said that motherhood made her more confident. "Everyone lacks confidence at some point in their lives but being a mother has put a lot of things in perspective for me."
Her husband's illness also took its toll. "I wouldn't say that I cracked, but about a year after Tim's treatment finished, I realized what we had been through and that I had been holding it together for everyone. I allowed myself some moments of weakness at that point." In a 2001 interview with Tatler (an Armani fashion shoot), she described how her husband discovered the "ominous-looking lump in his neck."
"One moment the lump wasn't there, the next it was. It just came up so fast. Tim felt it wasn't right, the size of it, and went straight to the doctor. We were told that many go into denial, ignore it, and the consequences can be fatal.
"Suddenly, this man who's a pillar of strength in our relationship and upon whom I depended, was weaker. I had to move into the motherly/nurse role and that flips the relationship quite a bit. I like to be dependent on my husband. For that period of time, I couldn't be, and so you have to balance all that up in your head. It was also horrible for Columbus to see his father get ill and his hair fall out. He was just old enough to be very sensitive about it."
She also spoke about the support she received from her parents. "Dad gave me extraordinary strength. He was just there. I could feel how he felt pain for me. You don't want to see your child have an unhappy time. Sometimes things don't need to be said. You know your parents are there for you. My mother has a good and open heart and talked, listened, and supported. She is good at that with people who are needy."
Helen also said: "I'm quite good at blanking things out in that very English way. Certainly, I've turned to prayer in times of crisis, when friends have died, or when Tim was ill."
A month after Eloise's birth, Lady Helen lost her £500,00 contract with Bulgari. She was dropped because Bulgari's "tumbling share price" dropped by 50%. During her three-year contract with Bulgari, Lady Helen earned £1.5 million.
Only a few weeks before her Bulagari contract ended, Lady Helen was in Edinburgh for Emporio Armani's launch, where she spoke about her "highly-lucrative part-time career. "It is an absolute dream to have a job like this. I travel a lot and I'm able to spend the majority of my time with my children. I am totally involved in their lives. I am very lucky. A lot of my friends are really jealous - but I lend them clothes, so not too jealous."
A second daughter -- and fourth child - Estella Olga Elizabeth Taylor was born on December 21, 2004. Lady Helen was in her 41st year when she gave birth to Estella. According to a friend, Helen was "thrilled" to be expecting again. "It came as a wonderful surprise."
All four of Lady Helen's children were born prematurely. Lady Helen was induced at 36 weeks as Eloise was in distress as she suffered from obstetric cholestasis, a disorder affecting the mother-to-be's liver in the final trimester.
After the birth of Estella, Lady Helen told Hello: "I have become a lot closer to my mother since I had children. I gave a better understanding of what it means to be a parent and I am much for forgiving. You realize how difficult it is. You understand that parents are only human and are learning as they go along."
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Lady Helen's contract with Armani ended in June 2009. "From Armani's perspective, there is a recession and it becomes harder to justify the expense of having fashion ambassadors. The relationship has been there so long there is less impact now for people to see Lady Helen wearing Armani, a source for Armani told the Mail on Sunday.
A few weeks later, in an interview with The Lady magazine, Lady Helen said "There's really a limit to how many navy jackets and white shirts you can wear in a year. It worked really well for 10 years and it was great not having to choose. But it came to a natural end and I've moved on."
Lady Helen was the Patron of CLIC Sargent, a cancer charity, previously known as the Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for Children, whose patron was the late Diana, Princess of Wales. In 2021, the charity's name was changed to Young Lives vs. Cancer. She is no longer the charity's patron nor a Trustee of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, although numerous websites still include this information.
In June Lady Helen and Tim Taylor will celebrate their 32nd anniversary. "When you have children and a career you have to consciously make an effort to make time for each other. You can't ever sit back. Marriage is a serious commitment and you have to give it your all, all the time, " Lady Helen told Hello in May 2005. She also spoke about her upbringing. "My parents gave us a normal family life. Yes, I have had a privileged upbringing but I had to make my own way in life. I got my first job when I was 19 and everything we have now is what Tim and I have worked for together. I have a lot and I am very lucky.
According to Tatler magazine, Lady Helen's 60th birthday was celebrated privately, "dining in a marquee tent decorated with fairy lights and flowers. The party was attended by her family and friends.
Columbus Taylor, 28, is the Associate Director of Timothy Taylor Gallery in New York. Cassius, 27, is the co-founder (with Harry Illsley) of telltale, which "provides curatorial, marketing and programming advice, so that projects may fully utilise target demographics and current styles." Eloise 21, is a student at the University of Manchester. 19-year-old Estella and her sister Eloise and cousin Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones attended Garden House School.
https://telltale-events.co.uk/
If you liked this article, perhaps you can buy me a cup of coffee
Princess Benedikte, celebrating her 80th birthday today, told the Siegener Zeitung that she would spend the day with her daughters, Alexandra and Nathalie, both her sisters, Queen Margrethe and Queen Anne Marie, her grandchildren, and friends. She noted that her son, Gustav, and his wife, Carina, would not attend her birthday celebration.
The Prince and Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berlenburg had a good reason to be absent from Princess Benedikte's party. On April 26, Gustav and Carina became parents for the second time. Their daughter was born on April 26 in an American hospital, The new princess was born with the help of a surrogate mother.
A spokesman for the prince and princess released this statement.
"They have had a daughter. Everyone involved is doing well and is very happy. The child was born on Friday, 26 April.
The couple's first child, Prince Gustav Albrecht, was born through a surrogate mother on May 26, 2023.
The Prince and Princess were present for the birth of their daughter.
Both children were born in the United States.
The new baby is Princess Benedikte's sixth grandchild. One grandson, Konstantin Johannsmann was confirmed in the Lutheran church on April 27. The confirmation service took place at the Evangelische Stadtkirche in Bad Berleburg. Princess Benedikte was joined by her daughters and other family members.
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2023/05/its-boy-for-gustav-and-carina.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2023/04/a-baby-for-gustav-and-carina.html
April 29, 2024
Paul Lambrino, who presents himself as Prince Paul of Romania, has been "detained in Malta," according to the Times of Malta. Lambrino, 73, was arrested while "attending an event organized by the Knights of Malta."
In November 2020, he was found guilty of "corruption related to the illegal restitution" of former royal property. Lambrino was sentenced to 3.5 years. When law enforcement showed up at his Bucharest home to bring him to prison, they discovered he had already fled the country. It was in June 2022 that he was found in a cafe in Paris' 9th arrondissement, where he was arrested and taken to jail. Romanian law enforcement officials requested Lambrino's extradition, which was rejected by a French court on April 8. Their decision was based on "the illegal composition of the Romanian judiciary panel", stating one of the judges who sentenced Lambrino, had not yet taken the oath of office.
"Romania's minister of justice, Alina Gorghiu, said the French court "exceeded its competencies in the recent ruling."
"This fugitive is just as important as another fugitive in Romania. In the procedure, the Ministry of Justice was not passive at any moment. We sent all the requested documents in time, as well as the situation of the detention conditions, where he was to be incarcerated, which was in accordance with European standards."
Lambrino was arrested on April 28 "on the strength of a European Arrest warrant. He appeared in court today and was denied bail "due to the seriousness of the charges against him."
Romania will seek extradition
In court, Lambrino stated he resided in Paris and gave his profession as a "member of the royal family."
He was accompanied by his wife, Lia.
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2015/12/an-update-on-paul-lambrino.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2020/12/paul-lambrino-has-been-sentenced-to.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2015/12/prince-paul-of-romania-arrested-for.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2020/12/paul-lambrino-has-been-sentenced-to.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2020/12/paul-lambrino-wanted-man.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2020/12/paul-remains-awol.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2020/12/lia-acknowledges-paul-has-fled-romania.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2022/06/paul-lambrino-is-in-custody.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2022/06/new-information-on-paul-lambrinos.html
It was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo, Bosnia, that was the catalyst for the First World War. His marriage to Sophie, who was also killed at Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, was morganatic. Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. His marriage was morganatic, which meant his wife and their three surviving children could not share his rank and titles. Countess Sophie was created Duchess of Hohenberg, and their children were Princes and Princess of Hohenberg.
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| Princess Sophie of Hohenberg & her husband Count Friedrich von Nostitz-Rienbeck |
Sophie Amalia Theresia Quirinia Henriette Lucretia Magdalena Maria Ignatiawas the fourth and youngest child of Princess Sophie of Hohenberg (1901-1990), who married Count Friedrich von Nostitiz-Rienbeck (1893-1973). Princess Sophie was Archduke Franz Ferdinand's eldest child.
Countess Sophie had three older brothers, Erwein, who died in a Russian POW camp in 1949, Franz, who was killed in action in 1945, and Alois, who died in 2003.
In August 1953, Countess Sophie von Nostitz-Rienbek married Baron Ernst Friedrich von Gudenus (1916-1972). They had four children: Baroness Sophie (1954), Baroness Marie-Sidonie (1955), Baron Erwein (1958) and Baron Ferdinand (1960).
Sophie Baroness von Gudenus died at Schloss Thannhausen in Weiz, Austria. The castle has belonged to the von Gudenus family since 1806. Her son, Baron Erwein owns the largest private fore
She is survived by her four children, eleven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and the families of her two maternal uncles, Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg, and Prince Ernst of Hohenberg who died in 1962 and 1954, respectively. The present Duke of Hohenberg is Maximilian's grandson, Nikolaus (1961).
When Sophie's mother, Sophie Countess of Nostitz-Rienbeck, Princess of Hohenberg died in 1990.
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It's not easy to be a widow. This is something Lady Gabriella Windsor, who celebrated her 43rd birthday on April 23, is learning. On February 25, Lady Gabriella's husband, Thomas Kingston was found dead in a building on his parents' property in Kemble, Gloucestershire. According to the senior coroner for Gloucestershire, Kington's father "forced entry into a locked outbuilding. Mr. Kingston was found inside with a catastrophic head injury. A gun was present at the scene. Police are satisfied the death is not suspicious."
The "provisional cause of death" was a "traumatic wound to the head. The coroner, Katy Skerret opened a formal "inquest into the death and adjourned it." The date for the official inquest has not been fixed.
Richard Eden, the Daily Mail's social columnist, broke the news that Lady Gabriella has moved out of the Notting Hill home she shared with her late husband and is now living with her parents at Kensington Palace, where she grew up.
One friend told Eden: "They wanted Ella to be with them, and she didn't want to be alone in the home she shared with Tom. All of us are rallying round and she's going to be OK."
Lady Gabriella and Tom Kingston were married at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on May 18, 2019. A former hostage negotiator in Iraq, Tom was a director at Devonport Capital when he died.
https://www.devonportcapital.com/#profiles
The first year after the death of one's spouse is difficult. It is advised to not make important decisions during the first year as a widow is in mental and physical shock. It is good news for Ella that she has the support of her parents, other family members, and friends.
At some point, the inquest will be reconvened and the public may learn more about more about Thomas Kingston's death. For the moment, the focus should be on Lady Gabriella as she tries to find her way through the pain and trauma she is now suffering.
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2024/02/thomas-kingston-husband-of-lady-ella.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2024/03/tom-kingston-inquest.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2024/03/tom-kingstons-funeral.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-wedding-of-lady-gabriella-windsor.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/05/a-royal-bride-lady-gabriella-windsor.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2018/09/lady-gabriella-windsor-to-marry-tom.html
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When Buckingham Palace published the announcement of new appointments to several Orders including the Most Noble Order of the Garter and the Order of the British Empire, the writer of the release made a huge gaffe. Queen Camilla is the new Grand Master of the Order of the British Empire, following HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Mary, and King George VI (Prince of Wales 1917-1936).
There are two errors in this announcement. George VI was never Prince of Wales or Grand Master of the Order of the British Empire.
Fast forward to today. Buckingham Palace updated the announcement, changing George VI's title to Duke of York (1917-1936). Still two errors. George VI became Duke of York on June 3, 1920. However --- and more importantly -- GEORGE VI NEVER WAS THE GRAND MASTER OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE.
The release should read Prince Philip, Queen Mary, and King Edward VIII as Prince of Wales (1917-1936)
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| The Times June 22, 1917 |
Please note what the above article states: The King has appointed THE PRINCE OF WALES to be Grand Master of the Order (of the British Empire).
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| The Times February 23, 1923 |
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| The Times March 28, 1936 |
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| The Times May 20, 1953 |
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| Order of the Garter June 2022 |
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| all 4 photos @Marlene A. Eilers Koenig |
HRH The Duchess of Gloucester set a new precedent for royal wives as she was appointed Royal Lady Companion to the Order of Garter. She is the first royal wife appointed to the Order since 1488 who is not the Consort, wife of the heir to the throne, or a princess of the Blood Royal.
In 1488, Henry VII appointed his mother Margaret Beaufort as a Lady of Garter. She was the last woman to receive the Garter until 1901 when King Edward VII named his wife, Queen Alexandra, Royal Lady Companion. King George V and King George VI named as their consorts to the Order. George VI went one step further in 1947 when he appointed his elder daughter, Princess Elizabeth, to the Order. Elizabeth's fiance, Prince Philip, was also named to the Order. He was the first spouse of the heir to receive the Garter in 1488.
Queen Elizabeth II opened the Most Noble Order of the Garter to non-royal women. In 1990, Lavinia Duchess of Norfolk was named as Lady Companion. Princess Anne was appointed in 1994. She was the first British princess in modern times who was not the heir to the throne to be honored.
The late Queen's first cousin, Princess Alexandra was appointed in 2003, a year after the death of Elizabeth II's sister, Princess Margaret, who did not receive the Order.
The Duchess of Cornwall was appointed to the Order in 2022. She is the first wife of the heir to the throne to receive the Order. The precedent for the spouse of the heir to receive the Order was set by King George VI when he named Prince Philip as a Royal Knight Companion.
In June the Danish-born Duchess of Gloucester will walk with her husband, HRH The Duke of Gloucester, from Windsor Castle to St. George's Chapel.
The Order of the Garter
His Majesty The King has been graciously pleased to appoint four new Companions to the Order of the Garter. The Companions are:
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester, GCVO, DStJ, CD, to be a Royal Lady Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
Air Chief Marshal the Lord Peach, GBE, KCB, DL, to be a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
The Right Honourable the Lord Kakkar, KBE, to be a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
The Lord Lloyd-Webber to be a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
The Order of the Garter is the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain. Each year, it is celebrated with a procession and service in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
The appointment of the Knights and Ladies of the Garter is in The King’s gift (i.e. without Prime Ministerial advice). Appointments to the Order of the Garter are therefore in the same category as the Order of the Thistle, the Order of Merit and the Royal Victorian Order which are also in The King’s gift.
Today's announcement brings the number of Companions to 21 (out of a maximum of 24).
This year’s Garter Service will take place this Summer at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
THE MOST HONOURABLE ORDER OF THE BATH
His Majesty The King has been graciously pleased to appoint His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, K.G., K.T., A.D.C., to be Great Master of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath.
Previous Great Masters have included: His Majesty The King as The Prince of Wales (1974-2022), His Royal Highness Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (1942-1974) and His Royal Highness Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1901-1942).
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath was established by King George I in 1725 although it is believed to originally date back as far as the eighth century. It is awarded to members of the military or civil service for exemplary service.
THE MOST EXCELLENT ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE
His Majesty The King has been graciously pleased to appoint Her Majesty The Queen to be Grand Master and First or Principal Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
Previous Grand Masters have included: His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1953-2021), Her Majesty Queen Mary (1936-1953) and His Majesty King George VI as The Prince of Wales (1917-1936).
[THE PRINCE OF WALES WAS THE FUTURE EDWARD VIII. HE SERVED AS GRAND MASTER FROM 1917 UNTIL HE BECAME KING. IN MARCH 1936, HE NAMED HIS MOTHER, QUEEN MARY AS GRAND MASTER OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE. SHE SERVED UNTIL HER DEATH IN MARCH 1953. QUEEN ELIZABETH NAMED THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH AS GRAND MASTER IN MAY 1953.
KING GEORGE VI WAS NEVER THE GRAND MASTER OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE.]
The Order of the British Empire was established by King George V in 1917 to honour a broader cross section of society, both military and civilian.
THE ORDER OF THE COMPANIONS OF HONOUR
His Majesty The King has been graciously pleased to appoint Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales, GCVO, to be Royal Companion of The Order of the Companions of Honour.
This is a new appointment.
The Order of the Companions of Honour was founded by King George V in 1917 to recognise outstanding achievements in the Arts, Sciences, Medicine and Public Service.
The appointments are effective from 23rd April 2024.
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| @Maison du Grand Duc/Sophie Margue |
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| Prince Corbinian of Bavaria and Magdalena von Kessel married on August 12, 2023 |
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| @Helmut Fricke |
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| @Maison du Grand Duc/Sophie Margue |
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| @Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg private collection/ Emanuele Scorcelletti |
