Before the war: a young archduke

King Constantine talks about his godson's wedding

An interview with King Constantine II of the Hellenes

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=13186749&page=1

Juliana Baroness Freiin von Gemmingen-Hornberg

Monday's Heilbronner Stimme includes a death notice for Juliana Freiin von Gemmingen-Hornberg,  eldest daughter of Wolf-Eckart Freiherr and Christine Freifrau  von Gemmingen-Hornberg,  Prinzessin von Wied. 

Baroness Juliana died on March 17 at Babstadt in Bad Rappenau.  The funeral will take place at the Pfarrkirche Babstadt,  The burial at the local cemetery in Babstadt will be private.  Juliana is survived by her parents and her sister Emily and her brothers, Alexander and Philipp, and her grandmothers, Helga Freifrau von Gemmingen-Hornberg, and Sophie Charlotte Furstin von Wied.

She was a pupil at the Astrid-Lindgren School in Neckarsulm, which specializes in physical and mental disabilities.

Juliana Freiherrin von Gemmingen-Hornberg died nine days before her fourteenth birthday.

Oh, Andrew, Andrew, Andrew

And everyone writes about Catherine Middleton's uncle Gary Goldsmith ... I think William has Kate beat with dear Uncle Andrew:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/8393811/Duke-of-York-made-secret-visits-to-Libya-with-Tory-donor-David-Rowland.html

Queen's Master of Music not asked to compose for wedding

and Sir Peter Maxwell-Davies, one of the finest living composers, won't even watch the wedding

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8393831/Royal-wedding-Queens-composer-refuses-to-watch-after-being-overlooked.html

More news on US wedding coverage

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1367615/The-William-Kate-effect-How-TV-networks-tuning-U-S-obsession-Royal-Wedding.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703899704576204443433487336.html?KEYWORDS=prince+william

Antoinette's baptism

Princess Antoinette of Monaco was baptised on March 5, 1921.  The ceremony took place at Monaco's Cathedral.  The Bishop of Monaco conducted the ceremony and the "numbers of clergy and the splendour of their vestments were remarkable," reported the The Times of London.  The Princess' parents, the Duchess of Valentinois and Prince Pierre were present for the ceremony, as were the baby's grandfather, Hereditary Prince Louis, who had come from Silesia, "where he is attached to the Plebiscite Commission),  the maternal grandmother, the Marquise de Polignac, and the Prince of Monaco, who is the infant princess' great-grandfather. 

The route between the Cathedral and the Palace was lined with cheering crowds.   The Prince of Monaco hosted luncheon and a reception in the afternoon at the Palace.  The parents received a congratulatory telegram from the Pope.  The Duchess de Valentinois, "in response to the acclamation of the populace, had to appear on the balcony.

In the evening, there were musical concerts and a torchlight procession in honor of the infant princess, third in line to the Monegasque throne.

Princess Antoinette of Monaco

The Prince of Monaco's press office today announced the death of Princess Antoinette of Monaco, who died "overnight" at the Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco.

The princess was the elder sister of the late Prince Rainier III.  They were the only children of the late Princess Charlotte and her husband, Prince Pierre de Polignac.  

Princess Antoinette "was involved in the cause of animal rights," reports the Associated Press, and was president of Monaco's Society for the Protection of Animals.

Her nephew, Prince Albert II, ordered all the flags in the principality lowered to half-staff.

Princess Antoinette Louise Albert Suzanne of Monaco was born December 28, 1920.   She was married three times.  Her first husband, Alexandre Noghes, a tennis champion and Monegasques lawyer were married in 1951 after the birth of their three children, Elisabeth-Anne (1947), Christian-Louis (1949) and Christine Alix(1951-1989.)   Several weeks before her marriage,  Antoinette was created Baroness de Massy, and her three children bear the surname de Massy. 
The princess and her husband were divorced in 1954.  She married for a second time in 1961 to Jean-Charles Rey.  This marriage ended in divorce in 1974.  In 1983, she married John Gilpin, a former British ballet dancer.  Sadly, he died only six weeks after the marriage.

The Princess is survived by her her two children and numerous grandchildren.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/monacos-princess-antoinette-sister-to-long-reigning-prince-rainier-dies-at-90/2011/03/18/ABE2I7o_story.html

The Royal Household and the Government of Monaco will observe two weeks of mourning until April 1.   Princess Antoinette's remains have been brought to the Palace Chapel, where friends, family and members of the public will be able to pay their last respects.  The funeral will be held in the Cathedral on March 24.

More Confirmations:

The Dutch royal house has confirmed that the Prince of Orange and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands will represent Queen Beatrix at the wedding of Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton.

The Imperial Household Agency has noticed Buckingham Palace that Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako of Japan will be unable to attend the wedding due to events in Japan.

Paul Fürst von Quadt dead at 80

Schwäbische Zeitung

Paul Franz von Assisi Georg Ghislain Edmund Maria Alexander Fürst von Quadt zu Wykradt und Isny died on March 16.  He was 80 years old.   The prince was the fourth child of the late  Alexander Fürst von Quadt zu Wykradt und Isny and Countess Maria-Anna Esterhazy von Galantha.   Following the death of his father in 1936,  Paul's oldest brother, Alban, succeeded as the new Prince.  He was killed in action in September 1942.  The title should have passed to the second son, Count Peter, but he chose to renounce his rights in favor of Paul following Alban's death.   Paul was only eleven years old when he succeeded to the title.

In September 1955 he married Princess Charlotte of Bavaria, daughter of Duke Albrecht.   He is survived by his wife and four children,  Alexander, who succeeds as the new Fürst,  Maria-Anna Countess Schenk von Stauffenberg, Maria Georgina Countess von Eltz gennant Faust von Stromberg and Count Bertram.

Bertram is now the heir presumptive as Alexander and his wife, Martina, have three daughters, Philippa, Charlotte and Anna.  Bertram and his wife, Sandra, have no children.

Here is an article in German on the late Prince's 80th birthday celebrations last November.
http://www.schwaebische.de/region/allgaeu/isny_artikel,-Fuerst-erhaelt-%E2%80%9Ehoechste-Auszeichnung-Isnys%E2%80%9C-_arid,4197957.html

Prince Napoleon is dead

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March 17, 1891

Prince Napoleon died this afternoon in Rome, according to the Chicago Daily Tribune.  His "last hours were agonizing," which "required the united strength of four men to keep him in bed."

 His "cries, caused by the agony he endured," could be heard in the streets.

The funeral for the Bonapartist pretender "will be conducted with religious ceremonies."  His body will be placed in one of the crypts of the royal mausoleum near Turin.

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 The prince received the last rights this morning at 6 a.m, and he was, according to the priest, "in full possession of his faculties."

The prince was the second son of the late Prince Jerome, brother of Napoleon I, by his second marriage to Princess  Catharina Friederike of Württemberg.   The late Prince Jerome had been forced by his brother to "discard his American wife."  The Prince, known commonly as "Plon-Plon," has been generally referred to as Prince Jerome Napoleon.

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 Prince  Napoleon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte was born on September 9, 1822, at Trieste. He spent most of his life in Trieste, Vienna, Florence, and Rome, "with occasional visits to Switzerland, Spain, and England."  

Many considered him the "cleverest man of the Bonaparte family since the great Napoleon,: but he was a "conspicuous failure both in politics and war."

He is survived by his three children, Prince Victor, who succeeds as head of the Bonaparte cause, Prince Louis, and Princess Marie Laetitia, by his marriage to Princess Clotilde of Italy, daughter of King Victor Emmanuel.  The couple was estranged.

The New York Times is reporting that Princess Marianne Bonaparte, a grandniece of Napoleon, died today at Ajaccio, Corsica.  More likely, the woman was Maria Anna Cecchi, the first wife of Prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte, son of Prince Lucien, and younger brother of Napoleon I. 

 Maria Anna and Louis Lucien married in 1832 and were separated in 1850.

Franz Joseph to remarry?

March 17, 1899


According to the Vienna correspondent for the Daily News, a London newspaper,  Franz Joseph will remarry, after the period of mourning for the late Empress Elisabeth is ended.  There are rumors that the Emperor will marry Princess Marie Isabelle of France, sister of the Duke of Orléans, "with the view of securing the Austro-Hungarian throne to a direct descendant."   Princess Marie Isabelle is 21-years-old. 

Alexandrine doing better

March 17, 1935

Queen Alexandrine of Denmark is "resting easy" after undergoing emergency surgery yesterday in Stockholm, reports the Associated Press.

According to the latest bulletin,  Queen Alexandrine is in no danger.  Her husband, King Christian X, "spent nearly the entire day" at her side.  The Queen came to Stockholm for the announcement of her elder son, Crown Prince Frederik's engagement to Princess Ingrid of Sweden.

No truth to the Langhorne-Teck romance

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 March 17, 1907

"My daughter Nora has never met Prince Francis of Teck,"  said Mr. Chiswell Dabney Langhorne to a New York Times reporter.  Langhorne made the emphatic declaration at Mirador, his country home near Greenwood in Albemarle County, Virginia.  He denies that there "is any truth in the story" that Prince Francis, younger brother of the Princess of Wales, "is a suitor for his daughter's hand."

Miss Langhorne has been in Richmond for the last two weeks with her sister, Mrs. T. Moncure Perkins.  She is now on her way to Mirador, where she will spend Easter with her father.

Mrs. Perkins also denies that Miss Langhorne has "never even seen" Prince Francis, although he is a friend of their sister, Mrs. Waldorf Astor.  Miss Langhorne spent the winter in Switzerland and spent only two weeks in England last month.  She was ill and confined to her room. She did not accept any social invitations and sailed for America only after her doctor said it was all right for her to travel.

She is only 19 years old and recently completed her education.   According to her family, Miss Langhorne will be "introduced into Society" next winter.     The family "resents the story" of the engagement, which has been making the "rounds in Virginia for several weeks."

Kate's royal descent is not through Henry VIII

Update - Catherine is not a descendant of Henry VIII or Mary Boleyn

http://www.wargs.com/royal/kate.html

Catherine Middleton may have royal ancestry, after all, with a line of descent from Henry VIII,  Well, how can that be as Henry has no descendants.   None of his three children, Mary, Elizabeth, and Edward, had issue, which means no descendants.  His acknowledged illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, Earl of Richmond, who was married to Lady Mary Howard, also died without issue, so how can Kate be a descendant of Henry VIII?

Some historians believe that he was the father of Catherine and Henry Carey, the children of Mary Boleyn.  Mary was Anne Boleyn's older sister, and Henry's mistress before he dumped her for Anne.  She was married to William Carey during the time of her affair with Henry.  The Dictionary of National Biography states that Catherine was born in 1529-30. But this date has proved to be incorrect.  William Carey died in June 1528.  She was appointed as a maid of honour to Anne of Cleves in the spring of 1540, and she gave birth to her first child in 1540-41  Thus, it is more likely that Catherine was born in 1524, one or 2 years before Mary gave birth to a son, Henry.

William Carey was rewarded with land grants in 1524 and 1526, the years of the births of Mary's children.

After Anne's execution, members of the Boleyn family continued to suffer "constant persecution and spoliation" by Henry, and, afterward, by Elizabeth I.  If William Carey was Catherine's father, she certainly would not have been selected by Henry to be one of Anne of Cleves' maids of honour. Catherine and her brother, Henry, created Baron Hunsdon of Hunsdon.   Despite the taint of their Boleyn blood, Mary's two children remained in favor at the courts of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.

In 1540 Catherine married Francis (later Sir) Knollys.  They had eleven children.  Their eldest child, Lettice, born 1540, married Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex.  Her second husband was Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.

Lady Knollys died on January 15 1569 at Hampton Court Palace.  Queen Elizabeth paid for the "opulent" funeral, that she described as royal. The funeral was overseen by the Earl Marshal and the Earl Treasurer the Earl of Leicester. Lady Knollys' funeral documents at Westminster Abbey were found with those of Henry III, Henry VI, Queen Mary II, King William III, Prince George of Denmark, and Queen Anne.

Lord Hunsdon's funeral was also grand and paid for by Elizabeth I.  He rests in one of the loftiest tombs in Westminster Abbey.

Kate is a descendant of Catherine Carey through her 10th child, Elizabeth, who married Sir Thomas Leighton.  The late Diana, Princess of Wales also descended from this marriage.  Charlotte Eagar has written a fascinating article about these connections in the March 12 issue of The Spectator.

http://www.genealogymagazine.com/boleyn2.html

http://www.spectator.co.uk/essays/all/6766908/another-boleyn-girl.thtml