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| all images Marlene A Eilers Koenig Collection |
Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner celebrates her 93rd birthday. She is the second of three children of Olav V of Norway and Princess Martha of Sweden. She is King Harald V's elder sister.
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https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2022/02/princess-astrid-of-norway-celebrates.html
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| @H. K. H. Prinsessan Sofia/Kungl. Hovstaterna |
10 February 2025
Princess Ines Marie Lilian Silvia, Duchess of Västerbotten
On Monday 10 February, a Council of State was held at the Royal Palace on the occasion of the birth of TRH Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia’s fourth child.
At the Council of State, HM The King informed the Government that the Princess, who is eighth in line to the Throne, will be named Ines Marie Lilian Silvia and known as Princess Ines.
Princess Ines has been granted the Duchy of Västerbotten.
In accordance with His Majesty The King’s decision of 7 October 2019 regarding changes in The Royal House, Princess Ines is a member of the Royal Family but not of The Royal House. The Princess will therefore not enjoy the style of Royal Highness.
In due course -- following her father-in-law, the 11th Earl of Sandwich's funeral -- Viscountess Hinchingbrooke will be styled as Countess of Sandwich as her husband, Luke is the heir apparent.
The heirs are not styled by their new title until after the funeral of the deceased peer.
Lady Hinchingbrooke is an American. She was born Julie Fisher in Sugar Grove, Illinois, in 1972. In the early 2000s, Julie moved to London to work for a digital firm. By that time, she was a single mother of two young children. She met Luke Montagu, Viscount Hinchingbrooke in 2003. A year later, they married at Mapperton. The couple have two sons, Hon. William and Hon. Nestor.
She appeared in Ladies of London, Million Dollar American Princess and was the host of the Smithsonian Channel's An American Aristocrat's Guide to Great Estates. Lady Hinchingbrooke now has her own YouTube Channel, American Viscountess.
https://americanviscountess.com/
The soon-to-be-styled Countess of Sandwich is an eloquent, brilliant, funny stately home historian. She is not, however, the first American to marry an Earl of Sandwich.
In June 1905, Miss Alberta Sturges became engaged to George George Charles Montagu, MP, the son of Rear Admiral the Hon Victor Montagu (1841-1916) and the nephew of the unmarried Edward George Henry Montagu, 8th Earl of Sandwich (1839-1916). They married on July 25, 1905, at St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge.
Miss Sturges "possessed of a large fortune in her own right" was one of the Dollar Princesses who married into the British peerage. The Duchess of Manchester (Helena Zimmerman) was a close friend.
Alberta was the daughter of William Solomon Sturges (1824-1894) and Elizabeth "Betty" MacLeod (1857-1931). She was born in Chicago, Illinois She had one brother, Hollister, and one half-sister, Frances Leggett. A year after Sturges' death, Betty married Francis Howard Leggett, a wealthy New York grocer. Leggett moved the family to London, where Alberta made her debut in 1901
Along with her mother, her aunt Josephine MacLeod, and her stepfather, Alberta was a devotee of a Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda. Alberta's two daughters, Lady Mary Faith and Lady Elizabeth, were also followers of Hinduism.
Mr and Mrs George Sandwich segued into the positions of Earl and Countess of Sandwich when his uncle died in 1916. The couple had four children: Alexander Victor Edward Paulet Montagu (1906 – 1995); The Hon. William Drogo Sturges Montagu (1908-1940); Lady Mary Faith Montagu (1911=1983) and Lady Elizabeth Montagu (1917- 2006)
The family lived at Hinchingbrooke House, which the 9th Earl had transferred to his eldest son, Victor, the future 10th Earl. During the Second World War, the house was used as a hospital. In 1955, Victor sold the estate as he could no longer afford the maintenance. The family moved to Mapperton in Dorset after the sale of Hinchingbrooke House. The house is now a school.
The Countess of Sandwich died in Huntingdon on October 23, 1951.
https://mapperton.com/home/gilded-age-american-heiress-exhibtion/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z74LoE7MlnM
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3gg2w16p2lo
https://www.doaks.org/resources/bliss-tyler-correspondence/annotations/alberta-sturges-montagu
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| @Roger Harris |
John Edward Hollister Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich "passed away peacefully" on February 1, 2025, at Mapperton House in Dorset. His family was with him when he died.
Lord Sandwich was 81 years old.
His eldest son, Lord Hinchingbroke, said: “His career was in overseas development, humanitarian aid and human rights but he was also devoted to Mapperton and its community."
Lord Sandwich was the eldest son of Alexander Victor Edward Paulet Montagu (1906-1995) and his first wife, Maud Rosemary Peto (1916–1998), who divorced in 1958. In 1961, Rosemary abandoned the Montagu surname and the courtesy title, Viscountess Hinchingbrooke, and reverted to her maiden name by deed poll. She was a goddaughter of Queen Maud of Norway.
At the time of his birth, Lord Sandwich was second in line to the earldom, His father was styled Viscount Hinchingbroke until 1962 when the 9th Earl died, and Victor succeeded as the 10th Earl.
In 1964, the 10th Earl disclaimed his peerage for life, according to the Peerage Act (1963), as he wanted to continue his Parliamentary career. He served in five Parliaments as the Tory MP for South Dorset. When his father died, the new Earl gave up his seat to move into the House of Lords. After disclaiming the earldom, he was known as Victor Montagu. In the 1964 General Election, he ran for the seat in Accrington but did not win his seat.
Victor Montagu's decision to disclaim his peerage did not apply to his children who retained their courtesy titles, including John, styled as Viscount Hinchingbrooke. Victor died in 1995, and John succeeded as the 11th Earl.
In 1968, Lord Hinchingbroke married Susan Caroline Hayman, daughter of an Anglican priest Perceval Ecroyd Cobham Hayman. They had three children: Luke Timothy Charles Montagu (December 5, 1969), the Hon. Orlando William Montagu (1971), and Lady Jemima Mary Abrashi, who is married to Fisnik Abrashi, the Director of Global Customer Engagement at the Associated Press.
The late Lord Sandwich sat in the House of Lords from 1995 through May 2024. He was seated as a hereditary peer until November 1999. and then served as an elected peer.
Lord Sandwich and his second son, Orlando, established a fast-food restaurant chain, the Earl of Sandwich with 50 restaurants in the United States, Canada, France, South Korea, and the Philippines. The fourth earl is credited with inventing the sandwich when he put meat between two pieces of bread.
He is survived by his wife, Caroline, their three children, Lord Hinchingbrooke, Orlando, and Jemima, and his nephew, Timothy, and at least five grandchildren, Hon William and Hon. Nestor Montagu, Walter and Nancy Montagu and Lettice Montagu Abrashi.
William and Nancy are the children of Orlando Montagu and Lady Honor Wellesley, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Wellington.
Lord Sandwich's eldest son, Luke succeeds as the 12th Earl of Sandwich. He is married to Julie Fisher, an American, and they have two sons. According to peerage tradition, Luke will not be styled as the Earl of Sandwich until after the funeral. At that time, his elder son, William will have the courtesy title Viscount Hinchingbrooke.
https://www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/24918633.family-share-heart-warming-tribute-earl-sandwich/
https://mapperton.com/visit/house/
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| Marlene A Eilers Koenig Collection. |
February 7, 1965
Prince Michael of Greece today married Miss Marina Karella, a Greek commoner. The Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony took place in the Athens palace ballroom where a "mobile chapel had been erected in the ballroom." This chapel had been "consecrated for the veteran Greek Navy cruiser Averoff."
Marina Karella is the heiress "to a vast industrial fortune," according to The Times. She is in her own right a "talented artist."
King Constantine II was the best man. The wedding was described as a "close family affair."
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As Miss Karella is a commoner, Prince Michael renounced his rights and the rights of his descendants to the Greek throne " before obtaining the king's permission to marry a commoner. His wife will not have a royal title. She will be known as "Marina, the consort of Prince Michael."
The 25-year-old bride was given away by her father, a well-known textile manufacturer." She studied art in Athens and Paris and has "gained a reputation as a successful stage designer for Athenian theatres." She wore a "silk gown in Empire style with a 10ft long veil edged with Brussels lace, " designed by Jacques Heime of Paris The veil was held in place "by an eighteenth-century diamond and pearl tiara."
Prince Michael, 26, currently serves in the Greek army but has said that he will resign his commission to "pursue his studies to obtain a doctorate in political science.
He is the son of the late Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark and the late Princess Francoise of Orléans.
It was on October 19th when King Constantine II gave his permission for Michael and Marina to marry. At the time, Michael was third in line to the throne, after Crown Princess Irene, the king's younger sister.
The guests at the wedding included Queen Anne Marie, Crown Princess Irene, Princess Katherine and her husband, Major Richard Brandram, Princess Andrew, and Queen Frederika, who "escorted the bridegroom to the altar. The Times also noted "that members of the French nobility attended, " including the Count and Countess of Paris.
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| Princess Francoise |
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| Prince Christopher and Princess Francoise |
Michael was only a year old when his father, Prince Christopher died. After his mother died in 1853, Michael lived with his uncle, the Count of Paris, and his family until he moved to Athens for compulsory military service. He and Marina share a common interest in the theater, and met when she was "in charge of designs for a production of Gogel, "The Diary of a Madman."
The couple had no plans for a honeymoon and would live in Michael's home in Ekali, 11 miles north of Athens.
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2024/07/hrh-prince-michael-of-greece-and.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-funeral-of-prince-michael-of-greece.html
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| @Nicky Economou (all photos) |
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HRH Princess Sofia of Sweden gave birth to a daughter today at the Danderyds Hospital. This is the fourth child and first daughter of Princess Sofia and her husband, Prince Carl Philip.
The new princess weighed 8lbs 4 ozs and is 19 inches long.
Prince Carl Philip was present for the birth. He told the press: “We are happy to welcome our newborn daughter into the world. The big brothers look forward to getting to know their new little sister."
Here is the translation of the press release.
"The Office of the Marshal of the Realm is pleased to announce that HRH Princess Sofia, on Friday, February 7, 2025, at 1:10 p.m., gave birth to a healthy and prosperous daughter at Danderyd Hospital."
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| @ The Royal Court of Sweden |
The new mother celebrated her 40th birthday in December. The former Sofia Hellqvist married HRH Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, the second of three children of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, on June 13, 2015.
They have three sons, Prince Alexander, 8, Prince Gabriel,7, and three-year-old Prince Julian.
The King will announce the baby's name and dukedom at a Cabinet meeting in the next few days. The new baby is the King and Queen's ninth grandchild.
Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark and Chrysí Vardinogianni were married today at the Church of Saint Nicholas Ragavas in Athens.
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The guests included Queen Anne Marie, Princess Alexia and her husband, Carlos Morales and two of their daughters, Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie Chantal with two of their sons, Prince Constantine-Alexios and Prince Aristides-Stavros, Queen Sofia of Spain with her daughter Infanta Cristina of Spain and her sister, Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, Princess Benedikte of Denmark with her daughter, Princess Alexandra and her son, Prince Gustav, and his wife, Princess Carina, Marina Karella, the widow of Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, with her daughters, Princess Alexandra and the Duchess of Aosta and her son-in-law, Nicolas Mirzayantz
This is the second marriage for both Prince Nikolaos and Princess Chrysi. Nikolaos married Tatiana Blatnik in 2010. Their divorce was announced in April 2024.
Chrysi has two children, Giorgi and Karen Agapi by her first husband Stefanos Xypolitas. They married in 2012 and were divorced five years later. In December 2023, she ended a five-year relationship with Greek actor/director Konstantinos Markoulakis.
Nikolaos's younger brother, Prince Philippos, and his wife, Princess Nina did not attend the wedding.
Phoebe Knatchbull and Leopold Glover recently announced their engagement. The Tatler's Isaac Bickerstaff was so excited about this announcement that he rushed out a mistake-filled article.
https://www.tatler.com/article/congratulations-mountbatten-phoebe-knatchbull-engagement
* "The Mountbatten heiress Phoebe Knatchbull, 29, who is the great-granddaughter of the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma."
* "Phoebe, 29, was born to Atalanta Cowan and the Hon. Philip Knatchbull, who is the son of Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma, the eldest daughter of Prince Philip's beloved uncle 'Dickie' Mountbatten."
Issac, darling, she was not born to Atalanta Cowan and the Hon. Philip Knatchbull.
Phoebe Heather Wills was born in the Portland Hospital on April 20, 1995, to Wendy (nee Leach). Wendy was married to Alexander John Wills in 1992. They divorced in 1996.
The birth announcement was published in The Times on April 25, 1995.
Here is the official GRO registration
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For more than 20 years, I corresponded with the late Patricia, Countess of Mountbatten of Burma. This was due to my research for my book Queen Victoria's Descendants.
In a March 16, 2005 letter, Lady Mountbatten told me about Philip selling the family home on Montpelier Walk in London. Patricia and her husband, Lord Brabourne, had given Philip the house "a good many years ago." They lived on the top two floors with "his growing family."
Philip and "his very nice second wife, Wendy, have a small daughter each, and also share two very small sons and decided to move to a very nice house in Chelsea."
Two words stick out: Each and Share. Daisy is Philip (Atalanta's daughter), and Phoebe is Wendy's. The two sons are Frederick and John. Philip and his first wife were divorced in 2000. He married Wendy in 2002.
The Hon. Philip Knatchbull considers Phoebe his daughter. He and Wendy raised her together. At some point, Phoebe began to use the Knatchbull surname rather than the surname on her birth certificate.
This is not the first time Bickerstaff (a nom de plume?) has rushed to hit the submit button. His article on Princess Mafalda of Bulgaria's divorce was similar to mine, including a misspelled word I later fixed in my post.
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| @Ken Stone |
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| The King with the Bishop of Salisbury @Ken Stone |
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| @Ken Stone |
Ken Stone is the copyright holder. I am grateful that Ken allows me to post some of his royal photos.
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| Belgian royal house |
The Belgian Royal Family's press office has released the following statement:
"Princess Maria Laura and Mr. William Isvy are delighted to announce the birth of their son Albert, born on Sunday 26 January in Brussels. Albert weighs 3.5 kg and is doing well, just like his mother. The families of the young parents share in their happiness."
3.5 kilograms is 7.7lbs
Albert Isvy is Princess Maria Laura and her husband's first child. He is the fourth grandchild of Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz. Their eldest child, Prince Amedeo, is the father of
This is the third grandchild of Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz of Belgium. Their eldest child, Prince Amedeo, and his wife, Elisabetta, are the parents of Archduchess Anna Astrid, Archduke Maximilian and Archduchess Alix of Austria.
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| @Edo Mapelli Mozzi |
"Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are delighted to announce the safe arrival of their daughter, Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi, born on Wednesday, 22nd January, at 12:57pm.
The baby was born weighing 4 pounds and 5 ounces.
The King and Queen, and other members of The Royal Family have all been informed and are delighted with the news.
Princess Beatrice and Mr Mapelli Mozzi would like to thank all the staff at the hospital for their wonderful care.
Her Royal Highness and her daughter are healthy and doing well, and the family are enjoying spending time together with Athena’s older siblings, Wolfie and Sienna."
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| Unfortunately, the boulangerie was not open early on a Sunday morning. |
My last day in Paris was warmer than the first two days. In the 60s (Farenheit). Another early morning, I had a list of places to visit -- and I was determined to check all the boxes. The first stop was Le Foréal for breakfast - scrambled eggs, bacon, orange juice, fruit, croissant, and a cappuccino. 14€
https://lefloreal.com/fr/services
After breakfast, the first stop was the Canal St. Martin, a few blocks from where I was stayed. After walking by the canal and taking photos, I headed to the Republique Metro as my next stop was the Arc de Triomphe. I did not have enough time to go to the top and look out, but I took a few photos and, of course, I asked someone if they would take my picture ... with my camera,
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| The stop for the Arc de Triomphe is Charles de Galles. I love the names of several other stops, including Franklin D. Roosevelt and George V. |
Back to the Metro.. The next stop is Place de la Concorde as I wanted to see it in daylight. Parts of the plaza are under construction.
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| The sun is trying to come out |
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| Sunshine!!!!!! |
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| I used my long lens to snap the Arc de Triomphe from near the Place de la Concorde -- street is the Champs-Élysées |
Back to the Metro to Saint Michel Notre Dame. One week after I was in Paris, 60 Minutes had an exclusive look inside the restored Cathedral before it reopened to the public.
Across the street from the Metro exit was a cafe, Saint André Paris. I decided I wanted a glass of wine so I ordered a chardonnay, sipping it as I sat at an outside table, taking in the scenery.
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| I did not see Quasimodo |
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| Really, Paris? |
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| This is the back of a statue near the cathedral on Île de la Cité. There was no way to see the front of the statue due to the construction |
Time for coffee and a croissant at a patisserie across the street from the Cathedral. Much to my delight, the historic bookstore Shakespeare and Company was a few minutes away, This is not the original bookstore started in the 1920s by Sylvia Beach, an American. This store honors her memory.
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| There was a line to get into the bookstore .. WORTH IT!!!! |
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| Square René Vivian |
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| The Square is across the street from Shakespeare and Company |
Back to the Saint Michel Metro to Saint Sulpice and the Luxembourg Gardens ... it was a hike but I got to the Gardens before it got too dark.
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| The Luxembourg Palace was the residence of Marie de' Medici, mother of King Louis XIII, and is now where the French Senate meets. |
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| A bit of color |
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| Anne of Austria The park includes statues of 20 French queens. There is also a replica of the Statue of Liberty, which I did not see., |
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| Kids can go for pony rides |
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| Rue du Bac |
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| A warm welcome from the bear, but he doesn't show you to your seat. |
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| Chardonnay in the cafe, and a Rosé with dinner |
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| All gone! |
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| Taken just before heading down the stairs to the RER |
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| It was very dark. This is Notre Dame. I used my 18-400 lens. |
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| Sacre Coeur |
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| The first thing you see when you walk into the Relay Shop is Disney's Remy (Ratatouille) |
