Paris Match: Andrea Casiraghi's wedding date set

Paris Match is reporting that Andrea Casiraghi, eldest child of Princess Caroline of Monaco, will marry his baby mama, Tatiana Santo Domingo, will marry in Monaco on August 31.

One assumes that they will tie the knot in a civil ceremony first (as required by Monegasque law), and followed by a Roman Catholic service.

The civil wedding will legitimate the couple's son Sacha, who will become third in line to the princely throne.

Princess Caroline's office has not confirmed the Paris Match report.

http://www.parismatch.com/Royal-Blog/Monaco/Exclusif-Un-mariage-a-Monaco-le-31-aout-523930

When the Queen Mum was a Princess

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All this fuss over a title.  So many people cannot grasp that HRH The Duchess of Cambridge is a British princess by marriage.

There were a few cardiac arrests yesterday, and the need for smelling salts when the Duchess' occupation was listed as Princess of the United Kingdom.

Made sense to me.  The Duke of Cambridge's occupation was listed as Prince of the United Kingdom.  Not a RAF pilot. 

It has been the norm to put Prince as the occupation of a royal father.  Adding the mother's occupation is relatively new.  The line did not exist on birth registrations when William was born.

In Britain, a wife takes her husband's rank and title, unless her rank is higher.   In 1923, after the wedding of the Duke of York to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, an official statement was released by the palace:

"In accordance with the settled general rule that a wife takes the status of her husband Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon on her marriage has become Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York with the status of a Princess."

http://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/419749/Palace-inquest-after-Prince-William-names-Kate-as-his-Princess

Prince George is registered

 

The Duke of Cambridge returned today to Kensington Palace to register the birth of his son, HRH Prince George Alexander Louis.  Unlike ordinary parents, who must go to the registrar's office, the registrar came to Kensington Palace.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-george/10218854/Royal-baby-Duke-and-Duchess-of-Cambridge-register-birth-of-Prince-George.html

The occupation of the parents are listed as Prince and Princess of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.)

This should end the discussion for people who could not understand that Catherine became a princess (by marriage) when the Archbishop of Canterbury pronounced the couple as husband and wife.

I wrote this in 2011: 
http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2011/05/primer-catherine-is-princess.html

Alexandria catches royal fever!

Golden Rhodes

Market Place

Not a shop, but an alley.

Golden Rhodes

Bishop Boutique

These photos were taken during the past week in Old Town Alexandria.  All the shops are on King Street. 

Just across the Potomac River in Maryland is Prince George's County, named for Prince George of Denmark, consort of Queen Anne (for which Annapolis, Maryland, is named.)

Many of Virginia's 95 counties and independent cities have royal names:, Amelia (George II's daughter), Augusta (of Saxe-Gotha, mother of George III) Brunswick (for the Duchy of Brunswick-Luneburg), Caroline (Queen Caroline, consort of George II), Charles City (for Charles I),  Charlotte (Queen Charlotte, consort of George III), Cumberland (Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, son of George II), Fluvanna (in honor of Queen Anne), Frederick (Frederick, Prince of Wales, son of George II, married to Augusta of Saxe-Gotha), Hanover (for the royal house of Hannover), Henrico (Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, son of James I), James City (James I), King and Queen (William III and Mary), King George (King George I), King William (King William III), Louisa (Princess Louise, youngest daughter of George II), Lunenburg (for Brunswick-Lunenburg), Mecklenburg (for Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, consort of George III), Orange (William III), Prince Edward (Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany, brother of George III), Prince George (Prince George of Denmark, consort of Queen Anne), Prince William (Prince William, son of George II), Richmond (Charles Lennox, first Duke of Richmond, natural son of Charles II), York )James, Duke of York, later James II), Charlottesville (for Queen Charlotte consort of George III), Fredericksburg (Frederick, Prince of Wales, son of George II), Williamsburg (William III).

Virginia is named for Elizabeth I, known as the Virgin Queen.

Prince Charles offers Monaco to France

July 31, 1883

Charles III, Sovereign Prince of Monaco "is offering his principality to France for 10,000,000 French Francs, reports the New York Times.   According to the convention of 1860,  the principality will become a part of France  "in the event of the present line dying out."

Last year, Prince Charles received 8,500,000 FF for "his right" in Monaco's gambling casinos.  Despite this infusion of cash,  the Prince of Monaco is said to be "in financial straits again."  

Monaco's "concessions" to the Blanc family will not expire until 1910.

Prince Charles, who married Countess Antoinette de Merode in  1846.  She brought to the marriage a well-endowed dowry, which her husband used to finance the modernization of Monaco.   Antoinette gave birth to the couple's only son, Hereditary Prince Albert, in November 1848.  Antoinette died in 1864 at the age of 35.

Prince Albert has one son, Prince Louis, by his former wife, Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton, now Princess Tassilo Festetics von Tolna.

No date set for Yugoslav-Greece nuptials

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 July 31, 1943

Although King Peter II of Yugoslavia and Princess Alexandra of Greece are now officially engaged, the date of the wedding has not been set due to the circumstances of the war, reports the New York Times.

The bride-to-be's mother, Princess Aspasia of Greece,  told the media that "We want to hear good news of the war before anything else.  Princess Alexandra feels this is not a time for rejoicing."

The 22-year-old Princess is described as having "dark hair and a vivacious manner."   She has spent her time in exile "working mornings at St. James's Pa;ace for the relief of prisoners of war."  In the afternoons, she lends a hand at a canteen for Allied nurses, officers and men, which is run by Mrs. Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, wife of the United States Ambassador to "the exiled governments.

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 Princess Alexandra is the niece of King George II of the Hellenes and the daughter of the late King Alexander.   She and her future husband are great-great-grandchildren  of Queen Victoria.

The Princess is wearing an engagement ring, a "family heirloom" from King Peter.  The ring has "a blue diamond set in white diamonds."

Ena accepts a smaller bequest

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July 31, 1933

Former Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain has accepted "a settlement of $40,00,000 on the $100,000 bequest" left to her by the late Alexander P. Moore, who once served as the American ambassador to Spain.

Moore's executor told the Associated Press that he "reached the settlement" at a recent meeting with Victoria Eugenia and her advisers at Fontainebleau, France.

At the time of Moore's death, his estate was worth about $1,500,000, but has "since shrunk to about $700,000."

Alexander Moore was a former Pittsburgh publisher.  He also served as ambassador to Peru.  He died in 1930.

[Adjusting for inflation, the Queen received $701,000 from the Moore estate.]

Margherita lingers between life and death

July 31, 1909

Dowager Queen Margherita of Italy, widow of the King Umberto, continues to linger "between life and death," reports the Los Angeles Times.  She is attended by several court specialists, who remain in constant attendance at her bedside at the Quirinal Palace.

The Queen is suffering from cancer of the throat, which incurable.  The disease is a "slow, but surely advancing disease." 

Two weeks ago, cable dispatches to Italian newspapers published in the United States, prematurely announce Queen Margherita's death.

Infanta Cristina: moving to Switzerland

The Spanish news agency EFE is reporting that Infanta Cristina of Spain and her four children are moving to Geneva, Switzerland. 

Cristina, 48, is the second of three children of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. 

The report states that Cristina's husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, will not be joining him.  He is under investigation in a corruption scandal.

The Infanta is expected to undertake new a job with the Caixa Foundation in Geneva. She will be coordinating Caixa's  programs with UN agencies.  She also has been asked to "foster new collaborative programs with social and cultural Aga Khan Development Network," which is based in Geneva.Her husband will remain in Barcelona, and, according to EFE, will make regular visits to his family in Switzerland.

Cristina and her children are expected to move to Geneva in late August.

The couple's four children, Juan Valentin, Pablos Nicolas, Miguel and Irene, will attend school in Geneva.  This is the third move for the Infanta. In 2009, the family lived in Bethesda, Maryland, as Iñaki worked for the Spanish telecommunications  firm, Telefonica, in Washington, D,C.  After three years, the family returned to Barcelona.  Due to Iñaki's involvement in the Noos scandal, he quit his job with Telefonica. 

Urdangarin, 45, is suspected of embezzling funds from a non-profit foundation, but he has not been charged with any crime.

This news came one day after a Barcelona judge lifted the ban on the media to "disseminate" Urdangarin's personal emails.  He had asked to keep the mails private because he believed the media would publish "intimate personal and family issues." 

earlier this year,  Iñaki had accepted a position as an assistant coach for Qatar's handball team.  He had been offered by job by his former coach, Valero Rivera.  But due to problems with Qatar authorities,  Iñaki had to give up the opportunity. 

The couple's home in Barcelona has been for sale for several months.

The report is based on "well-informed sources" close to the Spanish royal family. 


http://kurier.at/menschen/international/prinzessin-cristina-umzug-ohne-ehemann/21.159.262

http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2013/07/31/espana/1375265368.html

http://www.thelocal.es/20130731/kings-eldest-daughter-set-for-switzerland-move

Peter to marry Alexandra: Official

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 July 30, 1943

King Peter II of Yugoslavia, now living in exile in London, has received permission to marry Princess Alexandra of Greece, reports United Press.  The 19-year-old king threw his Cabinet "into turmoil last May" when he originally sought permission to marry.

He has now "won his battle and the hand of the woman he loves" by receiving the blessing of a new Cabinet.

The engagement was announced by Prime Minister Milos Trifunovich, although  Peter has actually been engaged to the "attractive Princess" for more than a year.

Princess Alexandra, the daughter of the late King Alexander I of the Hellenes and the Greek-born Aspasia Manos, is three years Peter's senior.

The Prime Minister stated that there would be no "royal state receptions" to celebrate the engagement due to "the great sufferings" of the Yugoslav people.

King Peter's permission to marry caused a split among his Cabinet.  Six members felt that he should not marry "until Axis armies had been driven from the soils of the two countries."  Other members felt that Peter's engagement would strengthen his "prestige and result in favorable diplomatic relations between nations."

Peter has since recognized his Cabinet with a new, more supportive Prime Minister.

The Kents are in Munich

July 30, 1935

The Duke and Duchess of Kent have arrived at Schloss Winhöring,  near the Austrian border, reports the New York Times.  The couple are en route to Yugoslavia to visit the Duchess' sister, Olga, who is married to Prince Regent Paul and their family.

Schloss Winhöring is the home of the Count of Toerring-Jettenbach, who is married to the Duchess of Kent's other sister, Princess Elisabeth. 

The Duke of Kent has spent some time fishing on the estate, and today, he made a "motor excursion to Kreuth in the Bavarian Alps."

The couple are expected to spend a few days with the Duchess' sister before continuing driving to Yugoslavia.

Succession to the Crown Act 2013

The Succession to the Crown Act, which was passed earlier this year (and signed by Queen Elizabeth II, remains in limbo, and is not officially the law.  Lord President, Nick Clegg, has not stated that the Act is the law of the land. The other 15 realms have not passed the legislation.  The law is facing serious hurdles in Canada and in Australia. 

It is also entirely possible that due to the birth of Prince George, the proposed legislation could be tabled in some or all of the other countries. 

Thus,  Lord St. Andrews and Prince Michael of Kent remain excluded from the line of succession. 

A few royal tidbits

July 29, 1893

A few bits of royal gossip from the Chicago Daily Tribune.

Dr. Laking, who recently received a knighthood from Queen Victoria, is the official "surgeon-apothecary" to her Majesty and other members of the royal family.

Queen Victoria has plans to invest the Duke of York as a Knight of the Thistle.  She wants the investiture to be "a ceremony of considerable state."  The event will take place at Balmoral in the fall.  The Duke, who is second in line to throne, married Princess Mary of Teck on July 6.

Princess Mary's brother, Prince Francis is "said to be engaged to Miss Bass.  This will be "incline the brewing interests to cry all 'ail to Miss Bass" as she "pursues the even tenor of her royal way."   The Hon. Nellie Bass is the only daughter of Lord Burton. She is said to have an annual income of $1,500,000. 

And  Prince Louis of Battenberg has "invented a ruler, provided with rollers," which "calculations can be at once made of the distance a ship has run within a given time."  It also can provide the distance "of a ship from another vessel or any object."

Count Wilhelm zu Waldburg-Zeil killed in car accident

July 29, 1927


Count Wilhelm zu Waldburg-Zeil was killed today in a "motoring accident" on the Oberalp Pass in Switzerland, reports the New York Times.   His wife, and her aunt, Princess Maria Theresa, were not "seriously injured."

When Count, who was driving the car, reached the top of the Pass, 6,720 feet above sea level," he "declared that he was tired," and he asked his wife to take over the driving. They had only just begun their descent when the car "dashed over the parapet."

The car somersaulted several times before landing forty feet below.  The two women were "flung out" of the car before it landed.   Neither woman suffered serious injuries, but Count Wilhelm, 37, was "instantly killed" as he was pinned under the car.  Several tourists who witnessed the accident were able to extract his body from under the car.

Countess Wilhelm and the Dowager Princess of Waldburg-Zeil were taken to a hotel on the Oberalp.

The accident was apparently caused by "the brakes failing."

Count Maria Gustav Wilhelm Karl Maximilian of Waldburg-Zeil, was born at the family's castle in Zeil on January 19, 1890.  He and his family lived at Schloss Rimpach at Leutkirch in Württemberg.  He had served in the military and retired as a cavalry captain.

He married Countess Maria Theresa of Salm-Reifferscheidt-Raitz at Vienna on September 28, 1921.  Her aunt, who is also named Maria Theresa, is married to the late Count Wilhelm's uncle, Georg, who was head of the house of Waldburg-Zeil, until he was killed in battle in France in September 1918. 

The current head of the Waldburg-Zeil is Ernst August,  the second son of Prince Georg and Princess Maria Theresa.  He became the heir after the eldest son, Eberhard, was killed in action in 1916.

The late Count Wilhelm leaves behind his widow and two young daughters, Countess Marie Gabrielle, who will celebrate her 5th birthday on September 1, and two-year-old Countess Elisabeth.

Duke of Orleans ill

July 29, 1923

The Duke of Orleans, pretender to the French throne, is "detained at Inverness Lodge, a spacious villa in Roehampton," near London, reports the Daily Express.  The report has been picked up by the New York Times.

He is watched over night and day by "male attendants."  He is said to be "so ill that at times he suffers from delusions."

Occasionally, the duke has cried out: "I am here a prisoner, I, the King of France, a prisoner."

He was staying at Oaklea in Wimbledon, where he became ill.  He was taken by ambulance to Inverness Lodge "to undergo special treatment."  According to the news reports, he was removed by four people against his will."

The Duke's chief financial agent in England released a statement on his behalf:
"The Duke contracted an infection of paludeene fever (malaria) during his r3cent travels in Africa.  he was In poor health when he came from Brussels to London three months or so ago, hoping that the change would do him good.  When he came to London, he stayed at Oaklea, Wimbledon.  There he became very much worse.  The advice of eminent medical men in London and from Paris was sought and it was agreed among members of the Duke's family that he should receive special treatment.

"It was impossible for this treatment to be given at Oaklea and for the sake of convenience the house,  Inverness Lodge, was taken, furnished as a suitable place where the Duke could be kept.  Everyone of the Duke's relatives knows of his condition and of the steps that were taken.  King George was informed, former King Manoel of Portugal making a journey to England for the purpose of telling the King.

"As a matter of fact the Duke did not know where he was coming when he was brought here. He practically was unconscious at the time and was carried out from his bed at Oaklea and removed here in an ambulance.  The Duke is under the direct supervision of two leading doctors in London and doctors from Paris also come to see him.  In addition, there is his private physician, Dr. Cromie, who is in charge of the house.  Male attendants are always with the Duke.  I am glad to say that the Duke, under treatment is now very much better.  He still gets very tired but his attacks have been fewer.  There is every hope that he will be well again in a month or so and be able to return home to Brussels.  His sister, Queen Amelia of Portugal, comes frequently to see him."