A new family photo

 

@HRH The Princess of Wales

This photo was taken last month by the Princess of Wales. Today is the Prince of Wales’s 42nd birthday.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh’s silver anniversary

Both photos @Chris Jelf

The photos were taken at Bagshot Park.

The Princess of Wales will be at Trooping

 

@Matt Porteous

The death of the Prince of Hohenlohe-0ehringen

 The late Prince is succeeded by his only son, Kraft as Prince of Hohenlohe-Oehringen.  The new Prince is married to Caroline von Wenden. They have four children, Hereditary Prince Christian-Kraft, Prince Carl Ferdinand, Prince Thassilo and Princess Philippa.

The Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Westminster

 

All photos are the copyright of Ken Stone 

@Ken Stone

@Ken Stone

@Ken Stone

@Ken Stone

@Ken Stone

@Ken Stone

@Ken Stone

@Ken Stone

@Ken Stone

@Ken Stone

@Ken Stone

@Ken Stone

@Ken Stone 









Thank you to Ken Stone for allowing me to use his photos. He is the copyright holder. 

Balmoral

 Today Balmoral.

Dumfries House

 

On Vacation…. In England and Scotland. Today I visited Dumfries House.  Tomorrow Balmoral.

Regular posts will resume after I return home.  

The Duke & Duchess of Westminster Official photos

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@Duke and Duchess of Westminster/Benjamin Wheeler/PA

The Duke and Duchess of Westminster have released four official wedding photographs. All are copyrighted by the Duke and Duchess of Westminster/Benjamin Wheeler/PA

The Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Westminster

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 The Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson were married today in Chester Cathedral.  The Prince of Wales and Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Brooksbank were among the guests. 

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The Duchess of Westminster, 31, wore a veil and gown designed  by Emma  Victoria Payne. The veil was “embroidered with floral motifs and edgings from Ms Henson's great-great-grandmother's veil from about 1880.”     

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 The duchess of Westminster wore the Faberge Myrtle Leaf Tiara, made in 1906.

A Ducal wedding

 If you are in the crowd in Chester tomorrow for the wedding of the Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson, you will find free ice cream and gelato, paid for by the Duke of Westminster.

https://www.chesterstandard.co.uk/news/24369740.duke-westminster-future-duchess-olivia-henson/

The officiant for the ducal marriage is the Very Revd Dr Tim Stratford.  He spoke to the Chester Standard about the wedding. 

“They are a delightful couple and they have put a lot of thought and imagination and creativity into the service, so it’s a really lovely event to be a part of.

“It was a long way back in history that a very early ancestor of the present Duke was actually responsible for the foundation of the abbey on this site in 1092.”

Dr. Stafford added: “In many ways, preparing for this has been the same as preparing for any wedding that we do. The couple are more in the public eye, so there’s been more to be done in terms of security and the impact that a wedding that so many people will be interested in will have on the city centre. “But in terms of the clergy’s preparations with the couple for the service, they have all the same sort of questions and things to think about as any other.

And where the free ice cream will be available.

https://www.chesterstandard.co.uk/news/24367207.free-ice-cream-chester-duke-westminster-wedding-crowds/

The Duke of Westminster's Romanov ancestry

 

@Victoria Tetley /Grosvenor 2024

Hugh Richard Louis Grosvenor, the 7th Duke of Westminster, is one of the richest men in the world.  His net worth is in the range of £10.127 billion.  In Chester Cathedral on June 7, he will marry Olivia Grace Henson.

There will be massive press attention as the Duke, 33. is a peer of the realm, with close royal connections.   These connections are not due to his dukedom but due to his mother's family.

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 Hugh's mother is Natalia Ayesha Phillips (1959), the youngest child (1909-1980) of Harold Phillips and Georgina "Gina" Werhner (1919-2011).  She met Gerald, Earl Grosvenor in 1977 at a ball at Blenheim Palace.  Her maternal grandmother, Lady Zia Werhner, was delighted with the possibility of a second duchess in the family.  Natalia's older sister, Alexandra (Sacha) (1946-2018) married James, Hamilton, Marquess of Hamilton (1934) in 1966.  He succeeded to the Dukedom of Abercorn (Peerage of Ireland) in 1979.  Prince Andrew was one of the pages at their wedding.  His godmother was Gina Phillips.

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 According to Raleigh Trevelyan, author of Grand Dukes and Diamonds, Lady Zia, a close friend of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,  said to Natalia: "Don't let him go. Don't let him go, you must come down and bring him to lunch."

Tally and Earl Grosvenor were married in 1978 in St Mary's Church, Luton.  Lord Grosvenor's father, Robert, 5th Duke of Westminster died four months after his son's wedding.

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 Hugh was born in London on January 29, 1991.  He has two older sisters, Lady Tamara van Cutsem, Lady Edwina Snow, a goddaughter of Diana, Princess of Wales, and one younger sister, Lady Viola Roberts.  He is the last male in the family, which means the Westminster dukedom will become extinct if he and his wife do not have a son.

The 6th Duke of Westminster was 64 years old when he died in August 2016.  Hugh was 25  when he inherited the peerage and the family wealth.

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 The Duchess of Westminster is the Prince of Wales' godmother.   King Charles III is the Duke of Westminster's godfather.  The Duke of Westminster is Prince George of Wales' godfather.

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 Gina Phillips (later Lady Kennard),  a lifelong friend of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, was the elder daughter of Sir Harold Wernher, BT, and Lady Zia Wernher (1892-1977).  A racing enthusiast, Lady Zia, was born Countess Anastasia Torby, the elder daughter of Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovitch of Russia (1861-1929) and Countess Sophie of Merenberg (1868-1927).   This was a morganatic marriage that did not have the approval of Alexander III.  

Grand Duke Michael, Countess Sophie and their three children: Zia, Nada and Alex

Grand Duke Michael's marriage was a love match, however.   Sophie was the daughter of Prince Nikolaus of Nassau and Natalia Alexandrovna Pushkina, daughter of the Russian poet, Alexander Pushkin.  This marriage was also morganatic.  A morganatic marriage means an unequal marriage where the wives and children do not share their husbands' and fathers' rank and title.   Natalia was created Countess of Merenberg by Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck Pyrmont, who was married to Prince Nikolaus' sister, Princess Helene.   In 1891, Grand Duke Adolf of Luxembourg, Nikolaus' older half-brother, created his daughter as Countess of Merenberg after her marriage to Grand Duke Michael.

Michael's morganatic marriage saved his life.  Alexander III stripped his military ranks, but Miche Miche, as he was known within the family, retained his great wealth in exile.   The Grand Duke and his family lived in Wiesbaden and Cannes before settling permanently in England in 1900.   

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 In 1910, the Grand Duke leased Kenwood House in Hampstead Heath.

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/kenwood/

After the Russian Revolution,  Grand Duke Michael lost his fortune. King George V and  Queen Mary and Sir Harold Wernher provided financial assistance. Three of his brothers were killed by the Bolsheviks.    

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/07/grand-duke-michael-leaves-estate-at.html

Countess Zia married Harold Wernher in July 1917 in Russian Orthodox and Anglican ceremonies.  The latter service was held at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace.  King George V, Queen Mary, Queen Alexandra, the Princess Royal, Princess Victoria, Princess Maud, Princess Beatrice, Princess Marie Louise, Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark, the Duke of Connaught with Princess Patricia of Connaught, the Marquess and Marchioness of Milford Haven, Earl and Countess of Medina, Lady Louise Mountbatten, and Grand Duchess George of Russia were among the royal guests.  Countess Medina was Zia's younger sister, Nada.

Harold's father, Sir Julius's fortune was made in South Africa's diamonds.  Following the death of his older brother,  Derrick, in 1948,  Harold succeeded to the baronetcy, which became extinct when he died.

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Grand Duke Michael was the third child of Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich, the seventh child of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia, and Princess Cecilie of Baden.  

Nicholas I - Michael - Michael - Zia - Georgina - Natalia  - Hugh 

The Duke of Westminster also has a Mountbatten connection as his great-aunt, Countess Nada Torby, married Prince George of Battenberg in 1916.  A year later, George's father, Prince Louis of Battenberg was created the 1st Marquess of Milford Haven.  George was styled as Earl of Medina until his father died in 1921 when he succeeded as the 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven.  

Hugh's maternal grandfather, Harold Pedro Joseph Phillips was the son of Col. Joseph Phillips and Mary Mercedes Bryce, the youngest daughter of John Pablo Bryce and María de las Mercedes González de Candamo e Iriarte.  Maria de las Mercedes' brother, Manuel González de Candamo e Iriarte was President of Peru (1903-1904).    

Harold Phillip's first cousin, Janet Bryce (1937) was the daughter of Mary Mercedes's older brother, Francis Bryce.   Janet was the second wife of David, 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven,  the only son of Lady Zia's younger sister, Nada, Marchioness of Milford Haven.

Princess Theodora of Greece has set a date!

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Several sources including Hello magazine are reporting the date of Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark's wedding date has been set.  The original source is described as "local media."  

She will marry American lawyer Matthew Kumar in Athens on September 28, 2024. 

The couple's engagement was announced on November 16, 2018.  Their original wedding date May 26, 2020, in Spetses, was scuppered due to Covid-19.

At the time Theodora published a photo of her and Matthew on Instagram with a message: "On what should have been our wedding weekend - the love and support from friends and family have been so appreciated.  We can't wait to celebrate with all of you in Greece once it's safe."

A new wedding date was set for 2023 in the "early summer" at Porto Heli, Greece, where King Constantine II and Queen Anne Marie lived.    King Constantine died on January 10,  2023, in Athens at 82.  

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 It is understood the wedding was postponed due to the king's death, but Matthew's legal roubles may also have played a role in the postponement.  He had been suspended from the California bar but was reinstated in March 2024.

https://apps.calbar.ca.gov/attorney/Licensee/Detail/283521

Princess Theodora and Matthew Kumar have not confirmed the September date.

Newspapers and magazines continue to write that Theodora plays Allison Montgomery on the American daytime soap, Bold and the Beautiful.  This was a minor role that ended in 2016.   

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2018/11/a-royal-engagement-princess-theodora-of.html

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2024/02/will-princess-theodora-and-matthew.html

Mail Call

@Maison du Grand Duc/Marion Dessard

 

@Royal Palace/Brussels

This came with a letter in Spanish from a court official.